Fish are now able to move more freely, thanks to concerted efforts to remove artificial barriers that prevent them from spawning or returning to critical habitat.
World Rivers Day, held on the fourth Sunday in September, is an international event celebrating rivers around the world, including the River Camel in Cornwall and the River Tarrant in Dorset, where the Environment Agency and partner organisations have worked hard to remove dams over the past year. Staff have also surveyed the River Teign to produce detailed maps of 59 man-made structures and a further 79 obstructions to help guide future work.
An Environment Agency spokesman said:
World Rivers Day is a wonderful reminder to celebrate what we have and the important work that is being done to protect and improve our rivers.
Removing these old structures at a time when demands on the river were different would be prohibitively expensive, but thanks to the work of organisations such as the West Country Rivers Trust and Wessex Rivers Trust we are overcoming these obstacles.
Fish species are under many pressures, including iconic salmon, whose numbers are declining worldwide, and removing historical bottlenecks is one way to improve the future of fish species and the environments in which they live.
This weir on the River Camel was causing problems for fish. Photo credit: West Country Rivers Trust
The River Camel after the dam was removed. Credit: West Country Rivers Trust
Efforts such as removing obstructions from the rivers, reducing forest canopy to allow more light into habitats and slowing water flows by leaking dams have improved conditions for the wildlife that depends on the two rivers.
Laurence Coldrick, chief executive of the West Country Rivers Trust, said:
The removal of two barriers on the Upper River Camel has helped protect this beautiful Cornish river and the many protected species that depend on it to flow freely.
This not only removes obstacles to fish migration, but also provides numerous ecological benefits, including restoring natural flows, improving sediment transport, improving water quality, enhancing biodiversity and improving climate resilience.
A National Trust spokesman said:
Partnerships are a powerful tool to benefit our catchment areas and maximise the positive impact of any project.
In rivers important to Atlantic Salmon in the South West, such as the River Teign, River Lemon and River Primm, we work closely with the Environment Agency, River Trusts and other partners to monitor, enhance habitat and remove or provide solutions to the presence of barriers, delivering wider benefits to local wildlife and communities.
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Read our World Rivers Day 2024 blog from our Water Director about the biggest causes of river pollution.
