Confluence 12: Spring 2011

CONTENTS
DIRECTORS COMMENTS 3
TRUST NEWS 4
PROJECT FOCUS:
THE AARC PROJECT 8
PROJECT FOCUS:
COUNTRY SPORTS 10
PROJECT FOCUS:
WATER PROJECT 12
PROJECT FOCUS:
DEFRA PROJECTS 14
PROJECT FOCUS:
UPSTREAMTHINKING 16
FUNDRAISING NEWS 18
WRT ONLINE 19
THANKSTO SUPPORTERS 19
Cover Photo: A winter dawn on the Exe Estuary (Nick Paling)
Editor: Nick Paling
Contributors: Dylan Bright, Laurence Couldrick, Bruce Stockley,
Adrian Dowding, Toby Russell, Hazel Kendall, Nick Paling, Viv Daly
Andrew Pym and Simon Steer.
© Copyright: Westcountry Rivers Trust, 2011.
The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of
the Westcountry Rivers Trust or the trustees thereof and
responsibility cannot be accepted for opinions herein. Whilst
advertising is welcomed, such advertising and/or logos do not
constitute Westcountry Rivers Trust endorsements of the products,
services or companies involved.
The Westcountry Rivers Trust is a registered charitable limited
company (Charity No: 1135007, Company No: 06545646).
Printed by
A frosty morning on the river

COMMENT
A New Era Dawns in Conservation
3
For those involved in the conservation movement in the UK, the
International Year of Biodiversity 2010 was one of even greater
significance than we could have predicted.
However, rather than as a year of celebrating and promoting our
native biodiversity in the UK, many will remember 2010 as the
year we appear to have failed to meet the fundamental
objectives of the Rio Convention on Biodiversity (1992) and the
UK Biodiversity Action Plan; namely to ‘significantly reduce the
current rate of biodiversity loss by 2010’. Furthermore, 2010 will
also be remembered as the year in which we realised that we are
going to fall well short of the EU’s Water Framework Directive
target of securing all of our lakes and rivers in ‘good ecological
status’ by 2015 (we are actually more likely to achieve 40%).
In 2011, with the calls for a change of approach to the
conservation of our natural environment growing ever louder it
seems that it has, in fact, taken a shift in our economic and
political landscape to precipitate the change that many felt was
needed. With the country’s economy in upheaval and the new
government resolved to see in a new age of austerity and
localism, it is now clear that the present levels of conservation
funding and management delivered by national government
bodies is not to be maintained.
Against this backdrop of economic cuts and the devolution of
responsibility for conservation, the new UK Government have
now outlined their vision for the future funding and delivery of
nature conservation in a draft White Paper on the Natural
Environment. Due to be published in the Spring of 2011, it is
likely to be a challenging and comprehensive document that sets
out a new vision for the delivery of environmental conservation,
but it may also leave a lot of questions unanswered and many
contentious issues unresolved.
What the UK Government’s white paper on the natural
environment will acknowledge is that, while our traditional ‘hold
what we have’ approach to nature conservation may have
averted an ecological catastrophe in the UK, we do now need to
adopt a more proactive, whole‐landscape approach if we are to
successfully conserve our natural heritage into the future. This
realisation, coupled with our new economic and political climate,
means that, no matter what happens, the planning, delivery and
funding of conservation in the UK will, from 2011 onwards, begin
to undergo significant change.
With such great changes afoot, we believe that the Westcountry
Rivers Trust is now well positioned to lead the way in meeting
the environmental challenges we all face. While many seek to
define ‘Big Society’, we are comfortable in the knowledge that
we have been the living embodiment of ‘Big Society’ for the last
15 years. The Trust believes the most powerful tool in our
conservation armoury is the active, informed and local
partnership between those that manage the land and those that
benefit from its good management. There is a place for
regulating damaging land management practices, ‘polluter pays’,
but we feel that there is much more scope to reward good practice
using funding from the direct beneficiaries in a very simple, cost
effective, local transaction. This ‘provider is paid’ model is a more
positive one in which all parties learn to revise their views on the
value of the natural environment and the services it provides.
At present, there are a number of ‘ecosystem services’, which we
derive from our land: food production, recreation, wildlife
conservation, drinking water, flood/drought alleviation etc. Of
these, food production dominates, being the only service with a
well‐established market for the product, while the others tend to
be delivered in a more haphazard way without proper spatial
planning and without sufficient funding.
Predictably, the outcome of this system is a significant imbalance
in the delivery of ecosystem services towards those driven by
market forces and this jeopardises the provision of the other
essential services for society as a whole. The challenge faced by
organisations like the Westcountry Rivers Trust, who wish to re‐
balance this equation to deliver all the environmental services
required by society, is that to be successful, we will have to
completely re‐balance the way that existing market forces and
regulation control land‐use. This is very easily said, but as you
might imagine, quite complicated…..
As regular readers know, however, the Trust is a ‘doing’
organization and it is our practice to try and light a candle rather
than just stand and curse the darkness. Accordingly, we have set
about undertaking this re‐balancing act in earnest. The Trust has
recently embarked on two ground‐breaking, high‐profile projects
that are being closely scrutinised by the environmental community
at the highest level, nationally and internationally: the EU funded
Wetted Land: the Assessment, Techniques & Economics of
Restoration (WATER) Project (see p12)and the South West Water‐
funded Upstream Thinking Project (see p16).
It is not yet clear whether the Government’s 2011 white paper will
achieve the step‐change in our approach to nature conservation
that many are calling for. All we can hope is that when we reflect
on the events of last year, during those that lie ahead, we will see
that, perhaps more than any year since 1981, 2011 has marked the
transition from the prevailing paradigm of top‐down species and
habitat driven policy into a new conservation era. This shift in the
balance of conservation approaches will (we hope) ultimately see
the dominant protectionist conservation philosophies integrated
into a more balanced, whole‐ecosystem and landscape‐level
approach that will reap far greater successes in the conservation of
our natural environments, while also ensuring the food security of
the country in a changing world.
Dr Dylan Bright
Trust Director
Read my full article on the Trust's vision for the future of conservation at
www.wrt.org.uk/wrt‐vision.pdf

TRUST NEWS
Spring in our step after long winter
IT HAS BEEN A LONG AND HARD WINTER ACROSS THE WESTCOUNTRY, BUT
SURELY THERE HAS NEVER BEEN SUCH A STRONG SENSE THAT THIS SPRING WILL
HERALD A YEAR OF UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS ON THE WESTCOUNTRY’S RIVERS.
The winter of 2010‐11 has been hard at times, but it has also seen the Westcountry
Rivers Trust engaging in several new initiatives and forging ever stronger ties with other
organisations around the UK, Europe and the World.
At home in the Westcountry, the Trust are now well established as key partners in the
Upstream Thinking Partnership along with South West Water, Devon Wildlife Trust,
Cornwall Wildlife Trust, the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) and the Exmoor
Mires Project. We have also been working hard to improve our working relationships
with the Environment Agency and Natural England; the main government bodies
responsible for environmental protection, making sure that we are well placed to
contribute to the Government's ‘Big Society’ initiative in 2011 and beyond.
Further afield, we continue to work in
partnership with environmental and
conservation organisations from all over
Europe and, in February, we were
delighted to host a two‐day meeting with
a twenty‐strong delegation representing
a wide array of river management,
environmental and conservation bodies
from China (see left).
WRT staff member wins
third ART Award
The Association of Rivers Trusts Autumn
Seminar on ‘adaptive land use for flood
alleviation’ was hosted by Eden Rivers
Trust in October 2010 at The Tufton Arms
Hotel on the banks of the River Eden in
Appleby, Cumbria.
As well as the very interesting discussion
about the seminar’s main subject,
Westcountry Rivers Trust’s very own
Laurence Couldrick also scooped the
Trust’s 3rd ART award for his excellent
contribution to science and innovation.
4
Spring is in full swing
Dylan Bright addresses Chinese delegation Laurence receives his award

TRUST NEWS
Bats boost business forTamar Consulting
AFTER A WINTER OF UNPRECEDENTED ACTIVITY, TAMAR CONSULTING, THE FINANCIAL TRADING ARM OF THE WESTCOUNTRY
RIVERS TRUST, IS LOOKING FORWARD TO ANOTHER VERY PRODUCTIVE AND BUSY YEAR IN 2011.
Tamar Consulting is a team of highly experienced ecologists with a unique blend of survey and research expertise combined with a
thorough understanding of environmental issues. The consultancy is wholly owned by the Westcountry Rivers Trust and contributes its
profits annually to the Trust, making it a very worthy choice for conscientious companies requiring environmental services.
Despite the tough economic climate, Tamar Consulting is thriving and, in December, became one of just six approved suppliers of
ecological surveys to South West Water. Furthermore, earlier in the year, the team also won a new contract to provide baseline surveys
and impact assessments for a series of solar parks across the south west region.
Unlike previous years, the steady stream of phase one habitat and bat surveys also showed no sign of abating during the winter (despite
the weather) and the team’s ability to deliver this work was greatly enhanced in 2010 with the award of a full bat licence to staff member
Dee Medlicott. In addition to habitat and bat surveys, Tamar Consulting also undertook a series of marine ecological impact assessments
across the South West in 2010 and began to offer fish surveys; an initial foray in this area that they are looking to build upon in 2011.
For more information about Tamar Consulting please contact info@tamarconsulting.co.uk or visit tamarconsulting.org
New Forum for hatcheries
To promote the sharing of best working practices and to foster strong working
partnerships between conservation hatcheries across the UK we have established an
online forum. The Hatchery Forum is focused on regulation, recording and reporting
protocols, broodstock management, fish treatment, stripping and egg handling, rearing
on and stocking criteria, and hatchery design.
On the 4th January 2011 the Forum members met for the second time. All of the
hatcheries were able to report successful brood stock collection and all felt that there
were great prospects for a new fish rearing year ahead.
For more information about any of the forum's member hatcheries visit the Forum
website (www.hatcheryforum.org.uk) or email us on info@hatcheryforum.org.uk.
Bumper year ahead at
Endsleigh Hatchery
Endsleigh Hatchery, which is managed by
the Westcountry Rivers Trust, released
forty‐thousand salmon fry into the River
Tamar in 2010 and it looks likely that this
number will be increased to nearly a
hundred‐thousand in 2011.
For more information contact Bruce
Stockley at the Trust on 01579 372140 or
email bruce@wrt.org.uk.
5

The Westcountry Rivers Trust, in
collaboration with River Taw riparian
owners and the Environment Agency, have
secured funding in excess of £400,000 to
undertake the replacement of Head Weir
on the River Mole, one of the main
tributaries of Devon’s River Taw.
The project was designed to replace the old
weir and fish pass with a state‐of‐the‐art
pool and riffle system that will be the first
of its kind in Britain.
With the funding in place, the Westcountry
Rivers Trust commissioned the South West
Environment Agency’s Operations Delivery
Team to undertake the work and, in spring
2010, work began to remove the old weir.
The old Head Weir (inset) was a 2m high
Weir today, gone tomorrow
AFTER SIX MONTHS OF COMPLEX AND SOMETIMES ARDUOUS WORK, DECEMBER 2010 SAW THE OPENING OF THE NEW HEAD
WEIR ‐ A SPECTACULAR AND INNOVATIVE STRUCTURE THAT WILL TRANSFORM THE ECOLOGY OF THE RIVER MOLE.
Over recent years the Trust have
conducted an extensive series of habitat
surveys on the river above the weir and will
be undertaking future monitoring to see if
the weir’s removal has been of benefit to
fish populations found there.
For more information on the Head Weir
project please contact info@wrt.org.uk
smooth‐faced concrete shute that, despite
having a fish pass on it, was regarded by
many as an almost complete barrier to fish
migration up the River Mole to the large
spawning and nursery areas that are known
to exist in its headwaters.
The new pool and riffle system, which is now
complete, is a 60 metre‐long run of
embedded tombstone‐shaped boulders set
at 5m intervals to create a stepped‐pool
system with a 1 in 30 gradient (below).
The structure will create a diverse array of
flow and channel characteristics that will
open the river up to fish migration in high
and low flow conditions and yet still serve to
divert some of the flow into the mill leat of
the historic Head Mill (the original reason for
there being a weir on the site).
6
TRUST NEWS
The new Head Weir being built

Great prospects for new season with the Angling Passport
WITH MORE FANTASTIC FISHING BEATS IN THE WESTCOUNTRY ANGLING PASSPORT THAN EVER BEFORE, THE WESTCOUNTRY
RIVERS TRUST IS LOOKING FORWARD TO ANOTHER GREAT FISHING SEASON IN 2011.
7
TRUST NEWS
Unlike in previous years, the opening day
of the trout fishing season was ushered in
by a series of beautiful sunny days this year
and what better way could there be to start
what we hope will be our best season yet..!
Originally launched as part of the Trust’s
Angling 2000 Project, it has now been two
years since the Westcountry Angling
Passport was re‐launched in its current
form and it must now be one of the best
ways to access the fantastic fishing
opportunities the Westcountry has to offer.
One highlight in the 2011 Passport is the
inclusion for the second year of the Duchy of
Cornwall beats on Dartmoor, which provide
some of the best salmon, sea trout and
brown trout fishing in the UK. The Duchy of
Cornwall beats include several miles of the
River Dart’s most wild and unspoilt reaches,
which can all be explored for as little as £10
(4 Tokens) a day.
In addition to the Passport, which now
contains around 40 great fishing beats
across the Westcountry, the WRT Booking
Office also offers you easy access to another
six day‐ticket beats on prime sections of
rivers such as the Tamar, Okement, Lyd,
Walkham, Avon and Yealm.
The Westcountry Rivers Trust retains its
passionate belief that our rivers are a
wonderful natural resource that should be
protected and managed for the benefit of
everyone. By working with angling
associations, wildlife groups and farmers
to improve the river corridor, while at the
same time helping land‐owners and river
owners market their fishing, we believe
that we have developed a fisheries
management scheme that both improves
our rivers health and gives people an
affordable and enjoyable way to enjoy
them.
So, if you want to spend a day fishing on
one of these beautiful rivers, don’t delay,
visit the Westcountry Angling Passport
website (www.westcountryangling.com)
and see how easy it is to get started.

FISHERIES SURVEYS ARE A WALKOVER..!
AARC PROJECT MANAGER BRUCE STOCKLEY HAS BEEN WORKING TO PERFECT THE TRUST’S METHODS FOR
FISHERIES WALKOVER SURVEYS AND NOW HE IS HOPING TO TRAIN VOLUNTEERS TO COMPLETE THEM FOR
THE WHOLE OF THE RIVER FOWEY
PROJECT FOCUS
The Fowey River Association (FRA) and the
Westcountry Rivers Trust’s Atlantic
Aquatic Resource Conservation (AARC)
project have now started the 2010 Fowey
Walkover Survey initiative in January 2011.
Our joint goal is to map all the different
habitats along the whole of the Fowey.
Why do it?
The first step in good management of all
our activities on the River Fowey is to find
out what is there. Of course many locals
know their stretch of the river like the back
‐of‐their‐hand, but by walking the entire
river together we can find out what areas
most need our help, and have the maps
and evidence to show us how we can best
focus our efforts to help the river.
How do we do the walkovers?
The first step is for volunteers to undertake
a days training on the Fowey with
Westcountry Rivers Trust. This training
shows volunteers how to identify different
habitats and how to record them on the
provided maps. Then the FRA organises
the volunteers and finds out what areas of
the river they would like to survey. Once
permissions to access the land are granted
then the volunteers go out in pairs and
mark the habitats out on the blank maps
they have been provided with.
Using GIS to map the data
GIS stands for Geographical Information
System, and is a database that works a bit
like a map. Once the volunteers have
completed their maps, they are sent to the
Westcountry Rivers Trust, where they are
scanned and entered into their GIS
computers back at their office.
Amazingly high quality maps can then be
made from this database, but that is just
the start. Any changes on the river can be
detected by future surveys. For example,
the ability of different tributaries of the
river to support Salmon from eggs to
smolts can be calculated. Using this data,
compelling arguments can be made for why
river restoration should be carried out – a
great resource to secure future funding for
the river!
How do you get involved in the surveys?
If you live near the River Fowey and love
this great Westcountry river, whether you
are an angler or not, you can help to do
these surveys. A river survey is a great way
to enjoy the river, and as it is always carried
out in pairs, a very sociable way to spend
the afternoon.
Walkover Survey training days began in
March, and the river walkover surveys will
begin in earnest over Easter 2011.
Contact us and get involved
To find out how you can get involved in this
survey work, and to make a significant
contribution to the restoration of one of the
Westcountry’s great rivers, please get in
touch with the Westcountry Rivers Trust
project manager Bruce Stockley on 01579
372140 or at bruce@wrt.org.uk.
8
Prime habitat on the River Okement
Image: Simon Steer
Learning how to do a walkover survey on the River Barle

AARC PROJECT
AARC Project Launch
On Thursday, 2 September 2010 the Westcountry Rivers Trust launched the €3.8 million
‘Atlantic Aquatic Resource Conservation’ (AARC) project at Reed Hall, Exeter.
Partners travelled from France, Spain, Portugal and Ireland, to celebrate the start of the
three‐year project, conceived and led by WRT, bringing together a diverse range of
organisations from across the rugged Atlantic coast of Europe to improve our rivers.
The launch was an evening of great entertainment, talks from four excellent guest
speakers and a great deal of discussion.
“What I like most about this project is the use of DNA fingerprinting on migrating fish like Sea
Trout. This kind of approach has the potential to make a real difference to the long‐term
conservation of these iconic fish.” Professor Ken Whelan, Director , Atlantic Salmon Trust
AARC Launch Speakers (L‐R: Ken Whelan, Ian
Johnson, Dylan Bright, Ted Potter)

COUNTRY SPORTS HAVE A BIG PULL
PROJECT FOCUS
“The new website will be the gateway for South West country sports, where visitors will be able to rese
to the region. We have already received lots of positive media interest in the website, as it’s the first of
great news and very encouraging...If you currently own a fishing business that you feel is well matche
industry then we are keen to hear from you. Businesses will receive a full page detailed listin
for 12 months, so it’s a win‐win situation. We can also offer free web page adverts
don’t currently have a website of their own.”
THE NEW EUROPEAN‐FUNDED COUNTRY SPORTS PROJECT HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO ENSURE THAT THE
SOUTH WEST REGION, WHICH IS RENOWNED FOR ITS UNIQUE LANDSCAPE AND COUNTRYSIDE, BECOMES THE
PREMIER TOURISM DESTINATION FOR COUNTRY SPORTS AND SUPPLIERS OF LOCAL GAME.
The Country Sports South West tourism project has brought the
Westcountry Rivers Trust (WRT) and the British Association of
Shooting and Conservation (BASC) together to work in partnership
for the first time.
Funded initially for three years the project aims to ensure that the
South West region, which is renowned for its unique landscape and
countryside, becomes the premier tourism destination for country
sports and celebrated for its game produce.
The project also aims to improve the visitor experience and
participation in country sports while creating sustainable rural
tourism businesses, which can respond to the future challenges
and exploit new opportunities.
The project is now well underway, but there is still plenty of time
for rural fishing businesses to make contact with the development
team to find out how this project could add value to their business.
Pretty much any business within the rural sector (new or existing)
across the SW region can get involved in the project and take‐up
the marketing opportunities we offer to add value to their own
marketing and products.
If a business is considering developments into the country sports
area, we can provide advice on setting up a shoot, angling, or any
other countryside activity such as guiding services, deer stalking,
equine/hunting, wildfowling and photographic opportunities etc.
In addition, one of our tourism experts can advise on business
The anticipation of small stream trout fishing
Image: Andrew Pym

COUNTRY SPORTS PROJECT
arch, plan and book their break
ts kind for the region, which is
to the needs of the tourism
g on the website
f businesses
development and help businesses to ensure that their product
matches the expectations of the country sports visitor.
We will also be developing a database of suppliers, processors and
food services that incorporate game and fish into their business
and offer a supplier‐matching service for those wishing to develop
into these areas.
Other services include access to specialist training, networking,
case studies of best practice and visits to demonstration sites. We
will also give assistance to help farms accurately assess and justify
diversification into the country sports areas.
A consumer marketing and PR programme will launch in Spring
2011 and will focus on the various country sports and activities
available around the South West. This will
also include attendance at key farming
and consumer shows and arranging
consumer taster days. In addition,
a website aimed at first time and existing country sport visitors will
launch in spring 2011 (www.countrysportssouthwest.co.uk).
South West rural fishing businesses who are interested in what the
project may offer them are invited to make contact with Toby
Russell (email: toby@wrt.org.uk; phone: o1579 372140), the
Country Sports Development Officer (Angling) at the Westcountry
Rivers Trust who will able to give them expert advice about the
country sports tourism industry, receive specific business
development advice and find out more about the various
marketing opportunities associated with the project.
The Country Sports South West Project is part of the Rural
Development Programme for England Project (RDPE), which is
   jointly funded by the EU and DEFRA, and is a partnership
      between the British Association for Shooting and
Conservation (BASC) and the Westcountry Rivers Trust.

WATER PROJECT
WETTED LAND: THE ASSESSMENT, TECHNIQUES ECONOMICS OF RESTORATION
THE WATER PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A MARKET BASED CATCHMENT RESTORATION SCHEME WHICH WILL BE
BASED ON A PAYMENTS FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES (PES) MODEL AND AIMS TO IDENTIFY BOTH DELIVERY AND
FUNDING MECHANISMS TO LEVER PRIVATE INVESTMENT FOR CATCHMENT RESTORATION
Across the South West region the river systems are dominated by
the underlying granite‐based geology and any rain that falls over
the land makes it’s way to our issues and streams predominantly
over the surface, as run off, or through the surface soils. This means
that the condition of the land surface generally dictates the quality
and quantity of water flowing in our rivers.
During past Trust projects we have targeted our work on river
catchments using Environment Agency monitoring data and local
advice. While this has helped us focus our efforts on specific
catchments, it has not allowed us to target specific sub‐catchments
and certainly not to pick out smaller high‐risk areas.
Through the WATER project, which is funded by the Interreg IVA
England (Channel) France fund, the Trust has been using and
developing a series of mapping tools created by the University of
Durham to assess fine sediment risk. By bringing together detailed
data on the elevation of each 5m by 5m block within a catchment,
as well as rainfall data and land cover data (showing features such
as arable, pasture, woodland, etc) we can start to establish
potential problem areas by running a model called SCIMAP.
When we run the model over catchments such as the Upper Exe we
can start to identify areas where the likelihood of soil eroding is
high (i.e. steep long bare slopes with high rainfall) and likelihood of
the eroded soil reaching the river is high (i.e. steep slopes next to
the river). These areas that have high erosion risk and high
connectivity risk are highlighted red on the SCIMAP sediment risk
map (shown right) and are therefore identified as requiring further
investigation as to the cause and possible solutions.
12
PROJECT FOCUS

In order to use SCIMAP in other Trust projects, such as the
Upstream Thinking Project (funded by South West Water), we
are also developing this model further to create a mapping tool
that will generate a series of mapped outputs, including the
standard SCIMAP outputs of erosion risk and connectivity, but
also a new wetted areas map.
From these maps we can then develop a third map which shows
us two important types of areas within our river catchments;
1 – Areas where erosion can enter the river that are set away
from the river and so can be buffered by a wetland
2 – Areas where erosion can enter the river that are immediately
adjacent to the river and so cannot be buffered by a wetland
With these two areas we can then do two things; firstly we can
overlay this map with the agricultural land classification map so
we get an idea of the impact on food security by altering land
management on these areas; and secondly by working with
farmers we can establish the condition of these areas and use
payments from sources such as carbon offsetting funds, to
abandon type 1 areas, or South West Water funds, to switch to
extensive systems in type 2 areas.
The Trust hopes that, by developing tools such as these which
aid (but importantly do not dictate) our targeting, we can
improve the use of funding, improve farmer profits and improve
the river catchment making it a more sustainable and equitable
ecosystem.
WATER Project Conference 2011, St Malo
On the 9th and 10th of December 2010, Fauna and Sustainable
Development (FSD) and the Hunting Federation of Ille et Vilaine
(FDC35), two of the partners in the European Fund for Regional
Development‐funded WATER Project, hosted the 2011 WATER
Project Conference at the Congress Centre of the Palais du Grand
Large in St Malo, France.
Speakers from France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Belgium
were all invited to report on the achievements of their projects to
develop the social, economic and environmental value of wetted
lands. Political decision makers from the European Commission
and the French government were also invited to the Conference
to present their vision for a sustainable European regional
development policy.
On the second day of the conference delegates were invited to
visit FDC35’s Boulienne Farm and tour the Châteauneuf
marshlands; a spectacular wetland created as part of the WATER
Project.
13
The Châteauneuf marshlands, Brittany, France
English delegates enjoy the wetland tour
The old town of St Malo, Brittany

PROJECT FOCUS
14
TAMAR TO HOST AVON DTC
The Demonstration Test Catchment (DTC)
project is a joint DEFRA, Environment
Agency (EA) and Welsh Assembly
Government (WAG) initiative working in
three river catchments: the River Avon in
Hampshire , the River Wensum in Norfolk
and the River Eden in Cumbria.
The principal aim of the project is to show
that it is possible to reduce the impact of
agricultural diffuse water pollution on
ecological function in a cost‐effective way,
while maintaining sustainable food
production, through the implementation
of multiple on‐farm mitigation measures.
The DTC project aims to achieve this goal
by detecting any shifts in the levels of the
most ecologically‐significant pollutants
resulting from targeted on‐farm measures
at field to farm scales and assessing their
effects on ecosystem function.
In 2010, the Avon DTC group recognised
that the work being done by the West‐
WESTCOUNTRY RIVERS TRUST HAVE TEAMED‐UP WITH THE HAMP‐
SHIRE AVON DEMONSTRATION TEST CATCHMENT CONSORTIUM IN AN
ATTEMPT TO DEMONSTRATE THAT CHANGING LAND MANAGEMENT AND
FARMING PRACTICES CAN IMPROVE WATER QUALITY IN OUR RIVERS.
country Rivers Trust through the Upstream
Thinking initiative, funded by South West
Water, represented a significant
opportunity for them to perform their
studies on a river system where there are
not only huge problems due to agricultural
pollution, but where there are also
significant funds available to undertake
large‐scale and comprehensive mitigation
works to reduce it.
In light of the clearly complementary work
that both groups were about to embark
upon, the Avon DTC group (lead by
Professor Adrian Collins from ADAS) and
the Westcountry Rivers Trust have teamed‐
up to undertake a ground‐breaking whole‐
catchment study to demonstrate the link
between improved land management and
farming practices, and improvements in
raw water quality in our rivers.
The study, which will be undertaken on
Caudworthy Water, is due to begin in spring
2011. For more information contact
hazel@wrt.org.uk or phone the Trust on
(01579) 372140.

STRATEGIC EVIDENCE PARTNERSHIP
THE STRATEGIC EVIDENCE PARTNERSHIP PROJECT IS A PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE BETWEEN DEFRA AND THE AS‐
SOCIATION OF RIVERS TRUSTS IN CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH COLLEAGUES FROM THE STATUTORY AGENCIES,
THE WATER INDUSTRY AND THREE OF THE RIVERS TRUSTS.
The overarching objective of the SEP
project is to assess the ability of current
policy instruments (specifically legislation
and agri‐environment incentive payments)
to deliver Water Framework Directive
(WFD) water quality targets and whether
private sector funding has a future role to
play in complementing publicly funded
incentive payments.
The project will focus on three study
areas; the Tamar, Severn and Wye
catchments. In each area, a series of
meetings will be held with the relevant
interest groups to discuss the nature and
extent of water quality problems and to
debate how measures might best be
targeted to mitigate these problems.
Following this process, in‐depth research
interviews will be conducted to determine
whether the current suite of public sector‐
managed cross‐compliance regulations and
agri‐environment schemes can deliver the
necessary targeted measures. A sample of
respondents will be selected from the
farming community, the Environment
Agency, Natural England and all other
relevant organisations. In particular,
interviews will also be held with
representatives from local water companies
to assess how water company managed
catchment management schemes might be
dovetailed in the future with public sector
schemes to provide a complementary
offering.
To find out more please contact the Trust at
info@wrt.org.uk.
15
The grey wagtail is a riparian specialist dependant on river insects
Image: Luc Viatour

PROJECT FOCUS
CLEANER WATER STARTS UPSTREAM
SOUTH WEST WATER, IN COLLABORATION WITH A GROUP OF REGIONAL CONSERVATION CHARITIES, HAVE
INITIATED ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST INNOVATIVE CONSERVATION PROJECTS IN THE UK: THE
‘UPSTREAM THINKING’ INITIATIVE.
UPSTREAM THINKING
The ‘Upstream Thinking’ initiative was
originally conceived as the result of some
‘lateral thinking’ by the Westcountry Rivers
Trust Project Team ‐ all of whom
recognised that we, as a society, place
huge demands on landowners in our rural
catchments.
Not only do we require them to produce
food from their land, for which they get
paid, but we also ask them to deliver a
number of services from their land for
which they do not get paid. These services
include the provision of clean water, the
protection of biodiversity, contributions
to flood defences, the management of
landscape character and accommodation
of recreation and access. It is, perhaps,
unsurprising then that these land
managers often struggle to deliver all of
these services to the level required by
society.
Instead of resorting to prosecuting
landowners for not delivering all of the
above services, under the traditional
‘polluter pays’ principle, the Upstream
Thinking project team believe that
landowners should be financially
encouraged and rewarded for their
positive actions in what could be described
as a new ‘provider is paid’ principle.
South West Water have recognized that it is
cheaper to help farmers deliver cleaner raw
water (water in rivers and streams) than it is
to pay for the expensive filtration
equipment that is required for them to treat
polluted water after it is abstracted from the
river for drinking.
South West Water also believe that water
consumers will be better served and in a
more cost‐effective manner if they spend
the money raised from water bills on
catchment restoration in the short‐term

rather than on water filtration in the long
term. They anticipate that, through this
proactive rather than reactive approach,
they may be able to reduce the future
additional costs of water purification by a
factor of fifty and so ultimately save their
customers from footing the bill. It is
estimated that the entire Upstream
Thinking initiative will cost each water
consumer in the South West around 65p
per year.
What makes the Upstream Thinking
project even more beneficial is that, in
addition to improving raw water quality,
there are likely to be a wide array of
additional benefits. First, the beautiful
natural landscape of the Westcountry,
which is highly valued by so many
residents and visitors alike, will be
protected and restored on an
unprecedented scale. Second, the work
will reap huge rewards in the conservation
of biodiversity on the land and in our rivers
and nature conservation will become an
integral part of the living working
landscape once again, rather than the
exclusive preserve of protected nature
reserves.
Finally, farmers will, as a result of the
project, be paid fairly for delivering not just
food from their land but also a wide variety
of other essential services for the benefit
of society as a whole.
The Westcountry Rivers Trust as a
partner of the South West Water
Upstream Thinking initiative will
focus on delivering farm
infrastructure and land
use improvement
works in five areas
across Devon
and Cornwall
that form critical elements of South West
Water’s Strategic Supply Network for
drinking water;
 Upper Haddeo (Wimbleball Reservoir)
(1)
 Upper Wolf (Roadford Lake) (2)
 Upper Tamar Lakes (3)
 Other Upper Tamar catchments,
including the Ottery (4)
 Upper Fowey catchment, including
Colliford and Sibleyback Reservoirs (5)
= Upstream Thinking work area
Over‐stocking can lead to field poaching and erosion

FUNDRAISING NEWS
18
Funding surge will boost river conservation efforts
AFTER A RECORD BREAKING 2010 FOR THE TRUST, IN TERMS OF THE AMOUNT OF WORK WE HAVE WON AND DELIVERED, WE
ARE NOW LOOKING TO RAISE EVEN MORE MONEY TO FUND RIVER CONSERVATION WORK IN 2011.
With last year proving to be the Westcountry Rivers Trust’s biggest
year yet and with our involvement in five major river conservation
projects continuing into 2011 (and with several new projects on the
horizon) we look set to increase the amount of river conservation
work we do even further this year.
In addition to our usual fundraising work (writing funding bids for
major projects, engaging with our supporters and trading by Tamar
Consulting) the Trust has also established an Endowment Fund to
provide a platform that, we hope, will give us the stability and
freedom to continue our work long into the future. For more
information contact the Trust for an Endowment Fund Info Pack.
Trust in a show this summer
The Westcountry Rivers Trust will be on the road again this year
with exhibits planned for all of the major Westcountry and
national shows.
So, if you are at one of the county shows, the Spring Fly Fishing
Show, the Game & Equine Show, the Bath & West Show, the
Launceston Show, the Game Fair or the Holsworthy & Stratton
Show then feel free to come along to our stand for a chat.
The shows and events we attend each year are a great way to
meet people, make contacts and raise awareness of the work
we do to promote and protect the Westcountry’s rivers.
Annual fundraiser is great success
In December 2010 friends, associates, and supporters of the Trust
assembled in the spectacular setting of Bovey Castle to attend our
Annual Lunch fundraising event.
Despite the icy conditions on the approach to the splendid country
hotel venue, all arrived safely and the day was a great success.
After dinner the assembled audience were addressed by Trust
Director Dylan Bright and the guest speaker Professor Michael
Winter OBE who is a prominent expert on rural politics and
economics and Director of the Centre for Rural Policy Research at
the University of Exeter .
Annual Lunch guests
enjoy the warmth of the
fire in the Cathedral Suite
at Bovey Castle.
Trust stand at a
recent show

WRT ONLINE
NewTrust websites up and running
The end of 2010 saw the launch of a re‐designed and re‐structured Westcountry Rivers
Trust website. The new site has a number of new features including a new photo gallery
and an interactive map of the Westcountry showing all of our different projects at a
catchment‐by‐catchment level.
In addition to the new Trust site we have also been working to create new websites for
the AARC Project (www.aarcproject.org), the WATER Project (www.projectwater.eu)
and the Hatchery Forum (www.hatcheryforum.org.uk). The next big challenge in 2011
will be the redesign of the Tamar Consulting website.
Thanks to our supporters and funders
WE WOULD LIKE TO SAY A HUGE THANK‐YOU TO ALL OF OUR SUPPORTERS AND FUNDERS—WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT WE
WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ENHANCE THE HEALTH AND NATURAL VALUE OF OUR RIVERS AND RIVER CATCHMENTS.
River cameras are a real catch online
In 2009 four friends sat in a west country pub and had a great idea—what if there
were cameras on every river that allowed you to monitor their condition online. Later
that year, now called Farson Digital, they installed their first cameras on the River
Exe at Exebridge and on the Taw at Umberleigh.
Since then, supported by the Westcountry Rivers Trust through their EU‐funded
Collabor8 Project, Farson Digital have installed cameras on
18 Westcountry rivers and are continuing to expand their
network across England (34), Wales (1) and Scotland (17).
19
The cameras are now getting thousands of visitors each week and later in 2011 when Farson Digital
launch their new national website they and the Trust will be able to reap the rewards and make a
huge contribution to the promotion of angling in the Westcountry.
New site in development for carbon storage
The summer of 2011 will see the development of a new website for the C‐Plus Project
currently being established by Laurence Couldrick. The aim of the C‐Plus Project will be
to develop a system whereby money for the restoration of rivers and wetland habitats is
raised from regional ‘environmental off‐setters’ (businesses or people who, for one
reason or another, want to redress some of their negative environmental impacts). More
news to follow later in the year, but if you want to know more about the C‐Plus Project
you can by visiting www.wrt.org.uk/projects/cplus/cplus.html

Confluence 12: Spring 2011

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Confluence 12: Spring 2011