The protection and restoration of good water quality and habitats is essential when working to restore healthy native fish populations.
GFT has, for many years, been working across the waters of Galloway to identify and improve degraded habitats. Increasing the climate resilience of local waters to climate change impacts is a priority. Climate change is raising water temperatures, increasing the magnitude and frequency of flood events and causing drier summers.
It is important to consider work programmes at a catchment level, particularly when looking for the causes of degraded habitats. Detailed catchment-wide habitat surveys (GFT have completed full catchment surveys on most rivers in Galloway) help identify, describe and quantify the severity of degraded habitat. Information gained from the surveys allows a list of remedial works to be prioritised which considers where maximum benefit can be gained for the available spend.
Habitat restoration works can be divided into four main types:
Work to improve water quality has focussed on addressing acidification through improving forest design plans (e.g. wider buffer zones and removal of riparian conifers including natural regen), removing conifers from deep peats and from high altitudes (>300 m above sea level) and undertaking peatland restoration.
This year's Saving the Sparling Project Intern has been continuing with the Sparling Goes to School Project by visiting local primary schools to teach pupils about the amazing Sparling.
Courtney is GFT's second Saving the Sparling intern. She has been working towards the arrival of Sparling since she began in December, focusing on education and public engagement. Sparling arrived in the Cree around the 22nd of February. This news story is Courtney's update on how it all went.
GFT are presently investigating the distribution of North American Signal Crayfish across Galloway and are interested in hearing reports of any recent sightings.