Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies visited the Upper Wye Catchment Restoration Project which aims to rejuvenate the river’s upper catchment area, home to several important species like Atlantic salmon, otters, shad, white-clawed crayfish, and water crowfoot.
The project, funded by the Welsh Government focuses on the Wye catchment from its source on Plynlimon to the border at Hay-on-Wye. Enhancements in the upper catchment will benefit the entire river system. Efforts will include reducing sediment and pollutants entering the river and improving its resilience to extreme weather and the Climate Crisis.
The work started last year and will take a total of five years to complete. A dedicated team of specialists will enhance the river environment, funded by the Welsh Government's Nature and Climate Emergency (NACE) fund, which includes capital funding for farm improvements.
During the visit the Deputy First Minister saw how the team is "Slowing the Flow" at Tarenig Forest by putting wood from the forest into small streams and drainage ditches. This helps trap sediment before it enters the river, re-creates vegetation corridors along the river, and creates new wetlands near the Tarenig Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is working with communities, landowners and groups to:
- Provide land management advice to farmers
- Restore riverbanks and buffer strips
- Improve homes for wildlife using natural materials
- Cut down on pollution and keep soil in place
- Slow water runoff during heavy rain
- Reconnect rivers to their floodplains
- Remove barriers that stop fish moving freely
- Remove harmful non-native plants
The River Wye is both a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation and is highly valued by local communities and visitors for outdoor recreation, wellbeing activities and cultural significance.
The Deputy First Minister, said:
We are determined to keep improving our rivers across Wales, including the Wye, and it’s great to see the progress being made.
This work in the upper Wye catchment will benefit the whole river, making it more resilient to climate change and extreme weather and also protecting precious wildlife.
The joint research funding I announced on Tuesday will support both nature recovery and sustainable farming practices to improve the local environment in the Wye catchment. This will work in tandem with capital projects such as this in ensuring we take the necessary steps to improve the water quality throughout the length of the Wye.
Susie Tudge, Upper Wye River Restoration Project Team Leader said:
It was fantastic to welcome the Deputy First Minister to see first-hand some of the projects we are delivering with communities and landowners to restore habitat and improve water quality in the upper reaches of the Wye.
The approach we are taking here in the Tarenig Forest is a great example of how work within the Welsh Government estate can contribute to restoring natural river processes and increasing future resilience to climate change.
This is one of the first interventions to be delivered by our project, which we will use as an exemplar demonstration site for other forest managers.
Elsewhere, we are working on local farms to fence off buffer strips and plant corridors of trees. Combined with the other focus areas of our project, this will deliver a significant contribution to the restoration of the upper Wye catchment.