Webinar: Reimagining Irish Rivers: working with nature

This week I attended the ‘Reimagining Irish Rivers: working with nature’ conference online. This was a partnership between The Rivers Trust, Local Authority Waters Programme, European Green Leaf, and Maigue Rivers Trust.

Day 1:

First Pádraic Fogarty (Irish Wildlife Trust) presented on Rewilding. He mentioned how there is not a clear definition for what rewilding is, however it involves looking forward to the potential impacts of future climate. We don’t know what species will benefit most, but we should be patient and adapt land. Rewilding is recognising the landscape processes occurring such as hydrology, which can encourage the creation of wetlands and wet bog habitats.

Rewilding recognises rivers are dynamic and play vital roles in recycling nutrients and regulating flow of water off land. What happens in our rivers is a symptom of what happens in the landscape. Pádraic finished by asking ‘What if we get it right?’. The benefits could be a mosaic of wetted, wooded habitats, with improved water quality.

William Cormacan & Sam Birch (National Parks & Wildlife Service) then presented on Riparian Management in the Wild Nephin Ballycroy National Park. Challenges to riparian planting management include planting without fencing or tree shelters, which can lead to trees being destroyed within 2 weeks by sheep and deer. Now all trees planted need to be protected, and regular monitoring and repairs are therefore required. Individual tree shelters were useful in areas which were hard to fence. In some areas, another challenge was the presence of dense Rhododendron which has to be treated at some expense. This has to be treated and then cleared to allow light to reach the channel and clear space for other riparian planting.

Following this, Hamish Moir (cbec eco-engineering) presented on hydromorphology and what a natural river looks like. Hydromorphology or fluvial geomorphology is the physical form of rivers and floodplains. Morphology reflects the balance between sediment supply and ability of the river to transport that supply.

Hamish mentioned reference condition, a benchmark against which we define management targets. We need to consider practical issues when defining reference state, and think about how far back in history to look at the landscape. Reference conditions should reflect the current environmental conditions which are influencing variables, and incorporate dynamic, changing behaviours of rivers.

Humans have significantly influenced rivers without understanding the consequences of this development. We now have a modern understanding and need to develop a more sustainable relationship with rivers. Practical targets for natural river conditions should consider reinstating natural processes rather than trying to make the river ‘look’ like previous condition.

Next, Dan Turner (The Rivers Trust) presented on Natural Flood Management (NFM): Wyre Investment Readiness Project. NFM involves techniques to increase catchment roughness to intercept, slow and store water. This brings other benefits including nature recovery, carbon sequestration, reducing agricultural pollution, and connecting habitats.

Investment Readiness means getting a business to a stage where it can stand up to investment scrutiny. There are several flood effected communities in the Wyre catchment which could benefit from investment in NFM. Initial modelling showed where to locate NFM for greatest impact on downstream flood risk. But how can we bring together lots of different stakeholders to fund this? Dan mentioned highlighting the companies who will benefit from the interventions and developing a Social Enterprise Model. As well as this, a dashboard or platform will be created for buyers, sellers, investors and the local community to engage with the project at any time.

Challenges included how to develop metrics and valuation of ecosystem services; the payment structures to understand what triggers payments from the buyers; how this project can coexist with current stewardship agreements such as ELMS; and how to ensure shared risk between investors and buyers.

Conor Galvin (Office of Public Works) then talked about the Irish context for nature-based solutions for Flood Risk Management. The Irish Government has been looking into how to improve flood risk management, including maps detailing flood hazards and plans setting out potential flood risk schemes. Flood Risk Management Plans set out long-term strategy for catchments. These plans aim to protect water resources and reduce flood risk by restoring or maintaining ecosystems, natural features and characteristics of water bodies.

These plans have been found effective for small catchments (up to 10km²) in frequent flood events (1 in 10 chance of happening in any given year). These offer a wide range of multiple benefits including water quality improvements, habitat creation, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. So far, there are plans to implement these Plans through pilot projects, ensure interdepartmental cooperation, and Flood Relief Schemes.

Alan Cullagh (Inland Fisheries Ireland) then gave an overview of dam and weir removal examples and issues. He mentioned there are 2 main barrier project in Ireland – the National Barriers Programme, and AMBER programme.

Free flowing streams provide free movement of water, sediment and fish. Dams create a barrier to movement of all these factors in the ecosystem. Almost 72,000 possible barriers to fish passage were identified in Ireland through mapping and GIS. Work is underway to investigate how to alleviate barriers, particularly where it is not possible to completely take them out of the stream. There are up to 15 surveys needed in order to gain planning permission for enhancements to barriers. Alan gave lots of examples of pre and post barrier enhancement.

Colette O’Flynn (National Biodiversity Data Centre) opened the last session, giving an overview on invasive species threats and responses. Once introduced usually by human intervention, non-natives survive, thrive and spread, posing negative impacts to native species and environments. Threats to natives include predation, introduction of parasites and pathogens, competition for space and resources, as well as changing habitats such as smothering environments and reducing light availability, and altering substrate (Asian clam), altering the channel system ecology. They can also destabilise rivers banks, exacerbate flooding, change soil fertility and nutrient cycling, and affect water quality. For example Himalayan Balsam can smother native species and reduce heterogeneity of habitat. There are also impacts to site access, recreation enjoyment and health issues (e.g. rashes).

These species have a huge financial cost on management in Ireland. We should consider how these species arrived in Ireland, and how to eradicate them. Through human intervention these species were brought to the country for horticulture, hunting/fishing and vessels. These can be spread through natural dispersal, as well as human aided dispersal through dumping and hitch-hiking on equipment/clothes. The number of invasive species in Ireland has increased over the years, including floating pennywort and musk rat.

We need to prevent these species arriving in Ireland to begin with, through understanding the pathways of movement. We need inspections at borders, as well as management to detect and report them across Ireland. If eradication is not possible, we need to contain these species and set up plans for long-term control, where feasible and possible.

Following this theme, Fran Giaquinto (Plant Ecologist) then presented on Invasive species in river corridors, in particular giant hogweed control on the River Loobagh. The local authority recognised the public safety issue of giant hogweed and instigated a programme for control. They understood that populations upstream needed to be controlled in order to stop dispersal of seeds across the catchment.

Adopting a manual approach to cutting giant hogweed was chosen to ensure least damage to biodiversity or the quality of ecosystem services. Using a herbicide would have had a knock-on impact to ecosystem function and water quality. Fran stressed the importance of digging roots to ensure the invasive will not regrow. Furthermore, stem injections were used to treat and target Japanese knotweed.

After digging out roots and cutting back giant hogweed, recolonisation with native species could thrive. Fran found that native species recolonise faster, and with more diversity, after dig-out compared with herbicide treatment. She also stressed that native hogweed is a key pollinator plant.

The final presentation of the day was from Brian Nelson (National Park & Wildlife Service), looking at biosecurity and conserving endangered crayfish. White-clawed Crayfish are generally a species of headwater streams, unlikely to occur in larger, open reaches as other species are present.

Threats to crayfish populations stem from non-indigenous crayfish species such as the brightly coloured blue and black crayfish from Australia. Introduction of North American crayfish unknowingly brought with them the crayfish plague which is a parasite. This spread through Europe through human intervention and movement of crayfish, for example to Britain in 1981, and Ireland in 1986. This has had a significant detrimental impact on crayfish populations. To tackle this and reduce the spread, we need to encourage the cleaning and disinfecting of equipment used in river environments (Check – Clean – Dry).

Day 2:

The second day focused on Communities and Rivers. Liz Gabbett (Maigue Rivers Trust) and Trish Murphy (Inishowen Rivers Trust) kicked off the 2^nd day talking about the Role of Rivers Trusts in Connecting Communities and Other Stakeholders.

To protect a river, we need to think of all the landscape and community as connected. All River Trusts are independent organisations but we have a common governance setup and culture of sharing knowledge and collaboration that gives a new organisation a structure that can be built on and sustained.

Collaboration and communication is key. We need to know the audience, be friendly and helpful, listen to concerns and ideas, use inclusive terminology, and make your examples relatable. We need to develop trusting relationships, and follow-up and ask for help when we need it. We should reiterate our shared objectives to cememt the importance of collaborative action.

Trish then talked about the importance of engaging with volunteers. Local community volunteers can help co-design and co-produce solutions, helping to understand the problem at a local level. She mentioned the iCatch Network, a network for river trusts to collaborate on projects in Ireland.

The next session involved 4 organisations providing an update on their catchment projects.

Donal Sheehan presented on the Biodiversity Regeneration in a Dairying Environment (BRIDE) EIP project, aiming to restore biodiversity in intensive farmland, creating more areas for nature.

Carol Quish then presented on the Mulkear Catchment EIP Report where there are 7 priority action areas, focusing on the importance of sustainable agriculture in Ireland. 7 concepts for sustainable farming are resource use efficiency, water quality, enhancing biodiversity, economic sustainability, gaseous emissions, animal welfare and health and safety.

A suite of mitigation measures for farmers include farmyard and roadways runoff attenuation, nutrient management, riparian buffers, farmland enhancement, water supply and habitat retention.

Carol summarised by mentioning how farmers are genuinely concerned and want to do the right thing. Carol finished by mentioning the importance of the partnership arrangements between organisations and farmers. The theory of ‘one size fits all’ is no longer a viable or sustainable concept in Ireland agriculture.

Maura Walsh then presented on the Duhallow Farming for Blue Dot Catchments project to enhance and improve awareness of the importance of water quality. The project involved significant farmer consultation and input, and aims to protect and restore the ecological status of the Rivers Allow, Dalua and Owenanare through an innovative cost-effective results-based payments scheme.

So far there have been 97 expressions of interest, and 82 farms have been surveyed to map habitats, possible measures, farm drains and hydrology. Demonstration farms were set up with measures implemented including farmland ponds, riparian buffers, hedgerows, and fencing. 70 farm surveys have been carried out since, to verify measures for a results based payment. 67 farmers have been paid a results based payment, and 18 farms have had soil sampled for a sustainable nutrient management plan. Agriculture is an ecosystem service and farmers need to be rewarded for any beneficial environment outcomes.

Finally, Eoin Kinsella presented on the Duncannon Blue Flag Farming & Communities Scheme. Throughout the catchment, there were 3 direct discharges to the watercourse and 16 failing septic tanks, 6 of which were discharging directly into watercourse. This provided an opportunity to design an innovative locally-led scheme for this catchment which improves water quality and protects farm incomes.

The project aims to sustainably restore, protect and enhance water quality, by developing an effective model for the future catchment and ensuring positive relations between farmers and households. The project hopes to create a Pollution Potential Zone Plan for each farm with a full-time sustainability advisor to help and give advice. Changes in farm practice and water quality will be monitored throughout the catchment. This aims to create a local awareness programme for domestic waste water treatment systems and develop community wide engagement with the project (ownership, responsibly and appreciation).

Fran Igoe (LAWPRO) opened the final session of the conference, talking about integrating communities into catchment management. Our relationship with catchments have been complex and varied over time however people are starting to reconnect with local waterbodies, and we should encourage and develop this relation. We understand our sense of place within a catchment culturally, historically, economically, ecologically and geographically. Last year LAWPRO ran a survey and 81% of respondents said they were interested in information about ongoing efforts to improve water quality in their local area.

LAWPRO supports any project that aims to enhance water quality, including small projects at the site scale to larger projects. It’s important to consider the context of the local area, and integrate into larger projects. Plus, considering biodiversity and climatic benefits would be a bonus for any project.

Fran mentioned how they encourage smaller projects such as raingardens, biodiversity meadows, community centre grounds, and local parks, up to larger projects such as invasive species which need to be targeted at a catchment scale. It is important to take a catchment-approach and consider catchment processes at the start of a project and ensure these are continually referred back to throughout.

Following this, Ruairí Ó Conchúir (LAWPRO) presented on proactive community engagement for scalable river restoration. He mentioned key recommendations for community engagement include building partnerships, looking at the project scale, and being realistic in terms of targets. Projects need to integrate groups and catchment characteristics, encourage multiple benefits, build capacity, and encourage community science, catchment science and citizen science as well as monitoring throughout.

Six communities working on the ground then gave updates on their local initiatives including Geashill Tidy Towns, Castleconnell Fisheries Association, Friends of the Camac, Cloughaneely Angling Association, Suircan, and Kilkenny LEADER Partnership.

Next, Michelle Walker (The Rivers Trust) presented on developing support tools for citizen scientists. Michelle mentioned the Catchment-based Approach, coordinated by the River Trust, which is a data and evidence based practical approach for integrated decision making. CaBA use data and evidence to monitor change and determine cost effectiveness in order to alter and develop projects and ensure progress.

The final speakers were Mary Kelly Quinn (UCD) and Simon Harrison (University College Cork). Mary firstly talked a bit about the role of citizen science in river water quality monitoring. She mentioned the Freshwater Citizen Science Working Group in the Republic of Ireland. This aims to reach an agreement on a national framework for Citizen Science monitoring of rivers using aquatic macroinvertebrates in Ireland in support of efforts to protect water quality.

Citizen Science involves the collection of scientific data that would be otherwise unavailable; brings issues to the attention of policy makers and strengthens the evidence base for policy decision; and raises awareness and empowers people to draw attention to local issues. The value of citizen science is now widely recognised across Europe and there is a growing appetite of the public.

Data sits at heart of Citizen Science but it should also contribute to awareness, education and informing policy practice. In order to do this it needs elevation from a scattered discipline, to a more structured approach. Mary mentioned a number of things which make citizen science successful. These include defining clear values of how the data will fit within the national monitoring framework, monitoring the scheme and providing methods and tools to fit the citizen scientist’s abilities, providing training and resources, ensuring reliable data is generated and made accessible, reporting results from the data, encouraging and sustaining participation, and long-term coordination.

Simon then talked about the Citizen Science Stream Index (CSSI) which is a simple, quick aquatic invertebrate monitoring scheme for community groups. Data collection in Citizen Science projects needs to be simple and involve minimal training. It would be useful to provide only a preliminary assessment of stream water quality with categories of outputs such as ‘good’, ‘uncertain’ and ‘poor water quality’. It should relate well to other existing biomonitoring schemes, and obtain reliable results (i.e. minimal uncertainty about taxon identity). This provides a large-scale, but coarse-result, indicative data collection approach.

The water quality indicator taxa should be easily identified in the field from their shape, size, movement or colour. Taxa should respond well to organic pollution and be characteristic of clean or polluted streams. Taxa must also be common and occur across a wide geographical range. Examples to consider as indicative taxa include stonefly, mayfly, caddisflies, Gammarus, beetles, crayfish, snails, leeches and worms. The final 6 taxa were decided as 3 are characteristic of good water quality, and 3 of bad water quality. Identification of presence/absence of these taxa will provide a simple score which can be grouped in ‘good’, ‘uncertain’ or ‘bad’ water quality, providing a simple indicative approach.

Simon also created a video on Stream Biomonitoring – The Citizen Science Stream Index (CSSI) Tutorial.

Thanks to those involved in holding this conference. It is great to have the opportunity to see how we can adapt and work with nature, and work in partnership to improve and enhance rivers in the UK. This was a great conference, with over 725 viewers on Day 1 and over 300 questions! This shows how much this is a current topic, with so many interested attendees.