A £1.4million restoration programme on the River Monnow and its tributaries in Herefordshire is tackling the serious decline in wildlife and plant species.
The Monnow Improvement Project was launched earlier this year and results show that some species, have already responded.
Funding
But water voles, crayfish, lamprey, bullhead and otters are missing or at very low levels where the improvement is still to be completed.
The project is being funded by the Rural Enterprise Scheme and aims to restore over 58 km of riverside habitat through a range of measures, including tree coppicing and riverbank fencing.
The scheme also involves a scientific monitoring programme to measure the level of fish stocks.
The River Monnow Project is being led by scientists from The Game Conservancy Trust with support from a number of organisations, including The Environment Agency - Wales, The Grayling Society and the Monnow Fisheries Association.
Project manager Ian Lindsay said: "Over the last 30 years the fall in trout and grayling stocks in the River Monnow and its tributaries has been matched by a decline in other important species. The Game Conservancy Trust's monitoring has confirmed this serious problem, which is typical of many other UK rivers. However, in previously restored areas, there is a noticeable improvement in some fish and wildlife species."
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