Afon Ogwen biodiversity set to thrive after river’
Environment Agency Wales has helped restore the Afon Ogwen to a near natural condition, transforming the habitat to benefit amongst others salmon, otters and water voles.
The improvement work on the Nant Ffrancon near Bethesda is part of a long term programme to restore the Ogwen’s upper reaches following historic damage caused by inappropriate drainage works undertaken in the 1960s.
As part of the new phase of work large heavy stone boulders previously removed from the river’s lower section have been carefully returned to create a labyrinth of underwater structures. The river now offers
a diverse range of river habitats for invertebrates and provides places for fish to hide and spawn.
North Wales biodiversity team leader Huw Jones said: “As well as helping to deliver the Welsh Assembly Government’s biodiversity commitments, our work supports actions to benefit people and wildlife that derive from the Water Framework Directive. The Directive places greater emphasis on the water environment’s ecological status and the lower section of the Afon Ogwen is now much stronger in terms of biodiversity benefits for salmon and otters for example. Our work here also means more bank side habitat opportunities for wildlife by returning the banks to a more natural level associated with local habitats.”
The work is also set to benefit water voles which are a threatened priority species in Wales. As Huw explains: “Returning the boulders to the river base will produce a small upstream rise in water levels. This will help create new habitat such as wet woodlands and bog land with a knock on benefit for water voles by providing the food and shelter that’s essential to help them thrive in such areas.”