August 2023
Bristol Avon Fish Recovery Strategy now published
The Bristol Avon catchment is home to a diverse range of fish species, such as Atlantic salmon, European eel, and brown trout. The rivers that they live in, however, are in poor condition, affecting fish populations throughout the catchment.
Our rivers have been subject to human activity for the past few hundred years, with weirs, barriers, agriculture, urbanisation, and pollution making it increasingly difficult for fish species to breed and thrive. As of 2021, only 12% of waterbodies in our catchment were classified as having Good Ecological Status.
To protect fish species in our catchment and help recover their populations, the Bristol Avon Fish Task Group has produced the Bristol Avon Fish Recovery Strategy which is now published and available on our website along with a five-year action plan and supporting document.
The Strategy builds upon existing and new data to outline priority areas within the catchment, identifying key actions to help deliver fish recovery, and to advise on best practice for land management, industry & business.
The BACP will be supporting the dissemination of the Strategy over the coming months. We ask all key stakeholders to contact us if you have any questions or would like to discuss how we can collectively ensure the key information identified in the Strategy is embedded and fully understood within the organisations working across within the catchment. In particular, we are keen to help raise awareness and engage with those working and influencing decision making in the transport and planning sectors.
If you would like more information, please contact info@bristolavoncatchment.co.uk.
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News from around the catchment
Impact of the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust in 2022 & 2023
Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART) has published an article covering the impact of their work over the past 12 months, which can be seen above. The article details several of their key projects, including the now published Bristol Avon Fish Recovery Strategy which was created in collaboration with the BACP. Read the article here.
Severn Estuary Big Beach Clean
From the 15th to the 24th September, the Severn Estuary Partnership is hosting the annual Severn Estuary Big Beach Clean event. The event is encouraging groups, businesses and individuals to get involved with litter-picking events in their local area to reduce the amount of litter entering the rivers before ending up in the estuary and sea.
The Beach Clean aligns with the Marine Conservation Society Great British Clean event. To find out how you could get involved or register your own litter-picking event, visit their website here.
Healthier with Nature
Bristol’s green social prescribing programme, Healthier with Nature, has lots going on and many opportunities for you to get involved with. See the poster below for further details. Alternatively, you can read more about Healthier with Nature on the NHS website here.
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BACP spotlight - Site visit to Morningside Farm Reserve with EnTrade and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust
Written by Jude Norman, Environmental Administration Apprentice
Since joining the Catchment Partnership Team last November and being new to the environmental sector, I have been discovering and learning new things about the river and water environment. Through working with the Partnership, I have been given many opportunities to develop my knowledge, and one such opportunity was my visit to Morningside Farm which taught me about how EnTrade, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, and Avon Wildlife Trust are developing the Bristol Avon Catchment Market (BACM).
In summary, the BACM provides a way for private investment to contribute towards green and environmental projects, providing a mechanism for how projects can be funded through an online marketplace, with EnTrade acting as the market operator.
The biodiversity value of a project offered to the market is based on a biodiversity metric calculation and how many units of biodiversity it generates. Buyers are allocated Biodiversity Units from projects offered into the market following a set of Market Rules and the Defra Biodiversity Metric trading rules. The Market Rules are designed to make the market open, transparent and ethical. Visits from an ecologist and satellite imagery confirm the required work to deliver projects is being carried out.
The biodiversity units being sold through the market will help to offset the impacts of development. Buyers may want to buy units to comply with biodiversity net gain regulations and planning requirements, demonstrate environmental leadership, or to meet their customer/employee expectations. The full market process and Market Rules can be found here.
Morningside Farm is a good example of one of the trial sites for the BACM. A number of in-field scrapes/ponds have been constructed. These ponds are fantastic for adding biodiversity benefits, creating habitat for creatures such as great crested newts and dragonflies.
The site is a great showcase of work that can be achieved through the BACM, and could be used as a demonstration site to show other farmers in the future, encouraging more farmers and landowners to become a part of the initiative.
If you’d like to learn more about the Bristol Avon Catchment Market, you can read the market overview here.
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Wider news
Ten years of Catchment Based Approach
An event will be held on 6th November 2023 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Catchment Based Approach. The Event will showcase the brilliant work from over 100 Catchment Partnerships from the previous decade and look at how CaBA can improve going into the future.
More information will be shared closer to the date.
