Case Study
River habitat creation on the Hampshire Avon SAC
Location
Avon, Hampshire
Date
August 2015
Client
Wessex Chalk Stream and Rivers Trust
Stakeholders
Avon Tyrrell Estate, Environment Agency, Natural England
Tasks
- Harvest and install live woody debris features at twenty locations
- Hinge existing trees at five locations
- Excavate a fry bay at site of historic ditch
Key remarks
- Works carefully carried out within sensitive site, including ground nesting birds, Water voles Arvicola amphibius and Desmoulins Whirl Snail Vertigo moulinsiana
- Our specialist low ground pressure excavator meant minimal ground disturbance
- Woody debris was located strategically to work with natural processes
- Part of wider project carried out by the Wessex Chalk Stream and Rivers Trust including installation of further woody debris and gravel cleaning
Effects
- Improvement of fishery habitat in a 2km section of the River Avon SAC. Woody debris provides ideal habitat for a wide range of fish species and life stages
- Shallow fry bay habitat created which is vital for providing refuge for a range of juvenile fish species
- By increasing habitat diversity in this relatively featureless stretch we will help meet targets as set out in the Water Framework Directive and Habitats Directive
