'Northern Devon Nature Improvement Area making a huge difference for nature - but more support needed

Representatives from a major conservation project in Devon are attending a special event in London today to mark two years of England's Nature Improvement Area (NIA) programme - and to ask the Government to continue its support of its crucial work in North Devon. The Northern Devon Nature Improvement Area covers 72,000 hectares in the river Torridge Catchment. It is one of 12 partnership projects which were created in 2012 following a competitive bidding process for a share of £7.5million new funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Natural England. The aim of Nature Improvement Areas is to improve the landscape for people and nature through restoring, expanding and joining up wildlife-rich areas. The South West only has two NIAs, one in Northern Devon and one in Purbeck. Today's Forum in London will enable the 12 NIA partnership groups from across England to share details and learning on the wide-ranging work they are doing to restore nature on a landscape scale, and their plans for the future. But NIAs may not continue into 2015 without further Government support. The Northern Devon NIA Manager, Lisa Schneidau, said: 'Thanks to the efforts of a huge number of farmers, communities and organisations working with us, the Northern Devon NIA has made a real difference for the river Torridge catchment in its first two years. The project has generated over £4 million to support action for the environment by local people. Without the catalyst of financial support from Government, none of this action would have happened. "Yet we have barely started, and there is much yet to do. Our current funding finishes in March 2015. We urge the Government to continue its financial contribution to Nature Improvement Areas. This support is crucial for the restoration of a healthy, wildlife-rich landscape in the Torridge catchment in the long term." Since April 2012 the Northern Devon NIA has worked with local landowners throughout 72,000 hectares of the Torridge catchment, within the North Devon Biosphere Reserve. Devon Wildlife Trust is the lead partner. Effort has been concentrated on offering advice and resources, to help local landowners manage wildflower (Culm) grassland, wetland and woodland, improve water quality in local watercourses, and engage local people in all aspects of the environment. So far the project team has helped 226 landowners, who in turn have restored over 1,200 hectares of land for wildlife. The project's work with communities so far has generated over 100 events, 33 school visits, over 3,000 volunteer hours and two theatre projects. Lisa and project partners will be presenting the main achievements of the project to an audience at the Forum which includes Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Science Lord de Mauley, Professor Sir John Lawton and Natural England Chair Andrew Sells. Lisa said, "We still have 6 months of the current project to go - and everyone can get involved. 

Whether you are a land manager, a budding wildlife surveyor, a parish or community group, a school, or you simply want to find out more about your local environment - if you live or work in the river Torridge catchment, we'd love to hear from you." The Northern Devon NIA team can be contacted on 01409 221823 or info@northerndevonnia.org
For more information, visit: www.devonwildlifetrust.org/northern-devon-nature-improvement-area/ 
A report on achievements of the NIA project in its first two years can be foundhere:

 Deptford Pastures near Bradworthy has been one of the many parts of the Devon landscape helped by the Northern Devon Nature Improvement Area  - Photo copyright DWT (All rights reserved)

River health checks off to flying start!

A river monitoring project established to check on the 'health' of North Devon's River Torridge has got off to a flying start. Set up earlier this year, the project now has 34 trained volunteers who are carrying out vital regular monitoring. The initiative, known as the 'Riverfly Partnership', is part of a national project monitoring the long term health of our rivers and helps to pick up on pollution incidents. The Devon version was set up earlier this year in the Torridge catchment. It was put in place by the Northern Devon Nature Improvement Area (NIA). So far it has generated a good deal of local interest. After an initial call for 'river monitors' 34 local people came forward to help. They come from a range of backgrounds and include teachers, anglers, farmers, students and an acupuncturist! Members of the team have each been given their own stretch of the river and are now surveying it on a monthly basis, looking for freshwater invertebrates (minibeasts), hence the name 'riverflies'. Louise Davis, the NIA's Riverfly Co-ordinator, explained: "The invertebrates found in our streams and rivers can tell us a lot about their health. Their presence or absence gives us vital clues as to what is going on beneath the water's surface. By counting the invertebrates on a monthly basis, we are able to look at long term water quality, and if all the invertebrates disappear, we know that something has gone drastically wrong. The volunteers have been sampling over the summer months, making sure that vital fish spawning grounds are not disturbed over the winter. We're also careful to ensure that the volunteers are safe and that they are not swept away by floods!" The Riverfly project is being support by North Devon Fisheries Local Action Group, and Torridge District Council. Their generosity allowed the NIA to purchase equipment for the volunteers. Using hand nets, sampling trays and magnifiers, the volunteers are tasked with identifying eight different groups of invertebrates. Louise explained: "The work of the volunteers is not too technical, and the Riverfly monitoring scheme is one that anyone can take part in, with no previous experience required. It does however take an eye for detail and a certain level of patience to identify the different flies that are found." 

The project is keen to hear from other local people who might want to get involved. If you would like to find out more about the Riverfly scheme, or to register your interest as a volunteer for 2015, please email info@northerndevonnia.org , or call Devon Wildlife Trust on 01409 221823. 

The monitoring scheme is part of wider work being undertaken by the NIA in NorthDevon. The project is one of 12 nationally important landscape scale wildlife schemes across England. It is delivering an impressive and ambitious range of work to restore Culm grassland and woodlands, create new wildlife habitat and improve water quality in the Torridge catchment. It is a partnership project within the North Devon UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, with Devon Wildlife Trust as the NIA's lead partner and at least 16 other project partners making active contributions to the project's outcomes.

 "Riverfly training takes place on the River Torridge. The scheme is getting local people to provide regular health-checks on their river."- Photo copyright DWT (All rights reserved)

Coronation Meadow sows seeds for the future

A meadow with a royal stamp of approval is at the root of the spread of rare wildflowers in north Devon. The meadow in question is Dunsdon, a National Nature Reserve owned by leading conservation charity Devon Wildlife Trust. Its 140 acres near Holsworthy are some of the best remaining Culm grasslands in the UK. Culm is famous for its rich summer displays of wildflowers including orchids, Devil's-bit scabious and others that have largely disappeared from the wider countryside. In 2012 Dunsdon received royal approval when it was made Devon's Coronation Meadow. The award came from an original idea of HRH Prince of Wales. As a way to mark celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation the Prince proposed that a meadow be designated in every county. 97% of the nation's wildflower meadows have been lost in the last 75 years, and it was concern for their disappearance that lay behind the Prince's initiative. Two years on Dunsdon not only continues to flourish but it is now being used as the focus point of a project which is seeing more wildflower meadows being established elsewhere. This summer Dunsdon has become a 'donor site' for wildflower seed which is now being used to create new meadows nearby. The work is being funded through the Partnership Scheme by Biffa Award; a multi-million pound fund which awards grants to community and environmental projects across the UK. The project has involved Devon Wildlife Trust staff gathering seed from the Culm grassland meadows of Dunsdon using a specialist bit of kit known as a seed harvester. The seed is then dried while a 'receptor site' is prepared nearby. The ground of the receptor site is cut to reduce its existing grass covering and then their top layer of soil is disturbed using a tractor-pulled implement similar to a harrow. In the final stage sowing takes place. Then the long wait begins watching to see what wildflowers appear the following spring and summer. In recent weeks wildflower seed from Dunsdon National Nature Reserve has been used with this method to sow ten acres of land at nearby Headon Farm. The land was purchased by Devon Wildlife Trust in March this year. Matt Boydell, the charity's Nature Reserves manager, explained: "Our new land at Headon Farm lacks the wildflowers that could support a wider range of local wildlife. Our aim is to improve it, so that's why we've embarked on this work. Seed from Dunsdon will allow us to do this. We're planting ten acres this year and then will do a further 20 acres over the next two summers." Matt continued: "This kind of work is exactly what Coronation Meadows were intended to do. They aren't meant to be standalone relics, the last remaining wildflower rich places in our countryside. Instead the intention is that they will act as the starting places for a movement to bring back wildflowers to the wider countryside." The existing wildflower meadows of Devon Wildlife Trust's Dunsdon National NatureReserve are home to many rare and threatened plants and animals including marsh fritillary butterflies, barn owls and lesser butterfly orchids. The charity's hope is that these species will now begin to spread along with the seed of Devon's first Coronation Meadow.

Seed Harvesting - Photo copyright DWT (All rights reserved)

 Seed Sewing Photo copyright DWT (All rights reserved)