Little Avon Corridor
This is largely mapped as a focus area due to the opportunity to improve the ecological status of the River Avon and create an ecological corridor along the boundary of the West of England and Gloucestershire.
Poor water quality is the main problem for wildlife in the Little Avon and, therefore, relevant priorities reducing agricultural pollution entering the river.
Reconnection of the river to the floodplain and the creation of riparian habitat are also relevant priorities due to their role in creating an ecological corridor.
In some parts of this area (e.g. near Charfield), it should be ensured that any new development close to the river does not negatively impact the river’s ecology and includes an appropriate buffer of riparian habitat between development and the river’s edge.
Priorities for nature recovery
Delivering the priorities for nature recovery is particularly important in the mapped Focus Areas for Nature Recovery. ‘Landscape recovery’ measures, which will have the biggest impact on nature recovery, are particularly relevant in these Focus Areas.
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Remove Himalayan Balsam from riverbanks, starting at the top of rivers and working downstream* | Farmers and landowners Communities |
River | N/A |
More rivers and streams have natural courses and profiles, enable free passage of fish, and have more diverse in-river habitat, including spawning habitat in headwater streams.
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Re-naturalisation of rivers to their original form or reprofiling of the river to create a more ‘natural’ profile. This could include restoring meanders, removing or setting back flood banks, and/or reconnecting old side channels. | Farmers and landowners | River | Landscape recovery |
| Introduce habitat features such as berms and flow deflectors in rivers to create more habitat diversity. This is particularly useful in river channels that are relatively uniform or highly managed | Farmers and landowners | River | N/A |
| Install natural structures such as leaky dams and let fallen trees in rivers remain in-situ (where appropriate and where the flood risk has been properly assessed) | Farmers and landowners | River | N/A |
| Restore headwater streams to enhance spawning habitat such as river gravels for salmonids, and instream water weeds and substrates for coarse fish egg laying | Farmers and landowners | River | N/A |
| Remove barriers to fish passage, including weirs and culverts, where this is possible, and the retrofitting of structures to include fish passes and mammal ledges where removal is not possible | Local government Farmers and landowners |
River | N/A |
The role of rivers and streams as ecological corridors through the landscape is enhanced, with diverse riparian habitat that benefits a range of species, stabilises banks, captures nutrients, regulates water temperature and provides vital shade during warm weather.
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Create and manage riparian buffer strips (of 5-50m, depending on the size of the watercourse, with larger buffers providing greater benefits) of vegetation including trees alongside rivers and streams. This will improve river ecology, create natural corridors, reduce pollution reaching rivers, and provide natural flood management | Farmers and landowners | River | Landscape recovery |
| Manage riparian vegetation to ensure a mosaic of light levels along the river, aiming for a 60/40 ratio of light to shade, and a dense understory to enhance the slow of runoff and increase infiltration rates | Farmers and landowners | River | Landscape recovery |
| Coppice bankside trees to increase their longevity and health | Farmers and landowners | River | Environmental stewardship |
| Active management of poaching by cattle along rivers, which would also help to reduce nutrient load into rivers. This may be achieved through the installation of fencing where it is appropriate and compatible with flood risk maintenance activities. | Farmers and landowners | River | Sustainable farming |
There are more waterbodies that are in good ecological status and support thriving populations of fish and other freshwater wildlife.
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Create a sediment pond or trap to provide an area where muddy run-off from fields or tracks is allowed to pond, so that sediment will settle out before entering watercourses | Farmers and landowners | Countryside | Sustainable farming |
| Reduce run-off of pollutants from farmland through the use of best practice in applying fertiliser, manure and slurry | Farmers and landowners | Countryside | Sustainable farming |
| Establish a buffer strip (which can contain long grasses, trees, and shrubs) of 4-12m on field boundaries or runoff channels. This can reduce nutrient and pollutant runoff into watercourses and provide habitat for wildlife | Farmers and landowners | Countryside | Sustainable farming |
| Improve management of manure and slurry to reduce pollution (e.g. roofing manure storage or manure storage pads) | Farmers and landowners | Countryside | Sustainable farming |
| Reduce the frequency of continuous and intermittent point source pollution from sewage discharges | Businesses | N/A | N/A |
| Reduce the quantity of pollutants entering the freshwater environment from wastewater treatment works | Businesses | N/A | N/A |
| Use constructed wetlands in wastewater treatment to reduce the amount of pollutants entering the freshwater environment, while providing wetland habitat | Businesses | N/A | N/A |
More rivers are reconnected to their floodplains and floodplain wetlands are created to allow natural erosion and silt deposition within the floodplain, especially where this would provide benefits to flood management.
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Reconnection of rivers to their floodplain, allowing floodwater to spill naturally onto adjacent land, and restoration of wetland habitat within the floodplain | Farmers and landowners | Countryside | Landscape recovery |
| Create or improve management of floodplain grazing marsh or floodplain meadows, including permitting seasonal flooding | Farmers and landowners | Countryside | Landscape recovery |
There is more sustainable and regenerative agriculture that minimises the use of potentially harmful inputs including pesticides and artificial fertilisers, and regenerates the health and carbon stock of soils.
| Measures | Most relevant to | Land type | Indicative level of land-use impact for nature |
| Use sustainable soil management techniques, including undersowing of crops, reduced or no tillage, reducing compaction etc. | Farmers and landowners | Countryside | Sustainable Farming |
| Establish a multi-species winter cover crop to protect soil from erosion and compaction, and improve soil biology | Farmers and landowners | Countryside | Sustainable Farming |
| Reduce the use of pesticides through integrated pest management, including use of companion crops; and leave areas unsprayed to support arable wildflowers | Farmers and landowners | Countryside | Sustainable Farming |
| Use precision farming techniques to reduce the use of pesticides | Farmers and landowners Communities |
Countryside | Sustainable Farming |
| Reduce or eliminate the application of fertiliser or manure on grassland, including through the use of precision farming techniques | Farmers and landowners Local Government |
Countryside | Sustainable Farming |
| Provide a more species-rich herbal ley for grazing livestock in place of an intensive perennial rye grass sward | Farmers and landowners | Countryside | Sustainable Farming |
| Reduce the use of antibiotics and worming products in livestock, to improve the value of their dung to wildlife | Farmers and landowners | Countryside | Sustainable Farming |
Relevant priority species
- Atlantic Salmon
- Brown/Sea Trout
- Eel