2024-25 Tales from an East Anglian Riverbank - Portfolio - Page 19
PROJECTS
Driving Restora}on through the Chalk Partnership
Fund: Over the past three years, the Chalk Partnership
Fund has co-developed projects to restore ecosystems
and deliver both environmental and community
bene昀椀ts.
Improved monitoring in Chalk Catchments: The Fund
has con琀椀nued to support the monitoring network
established along the chalk catchments in East Anglia,
Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire. This network,
located in the ecologically sensi琀椀ve headwaters of chalk
catchments, con琀椀nues to monitor the impacts of
groundwater abstrac琀椀on, enhance our understanding of
the hydroecology, and improves our understanding of
how ecology responds to changes in water regimes. The
aim of this monitoring network is to help inform and
improve the management of water, foster collabora琀椀on,
and explore opportuni琀椀es for ci琀椀zen science
engagement.
Ranunculus beds
Credit: Greater
Cambridge Chalk
Stream Project
River Granta
crowfoot beds
Credit: Greater
Cambridge Chalk
Stream Project
Nature-Based Solu}ons in Chalk Catchments: In the
Wensum catchment, we have con琀椀nued collabora琀椀ng
with Water Resources East on a proof-of-concept
project using nature-based solu琀椀ons to support Water
Resources. This year, we have built a run-o昀昀 a琀琀enua琀椀on
feature (pictured) and data collec琀椀on will start to
observe any e昀昀ects of the feature upon in昀椀ltra琀椀on rates
and any improvements within localised groundwater
levels. We hope the data collected over 琀椀me will help
inform future land management prac琀椀ces and improve
a catchment9s resilience during low-now periods.
Call for collec}ve
ac}on!
We cannot protect
chalk streams on our
own. We all have our
part to play:
government policy,
regula琀椀on and
enforcement, planning
decisions, ac琀椀ons by
water companies,
farmers and
landowners, as well as
the behaviour of
individuals in the way
they use water.
We aim to foster new
partnerships, raise
awareness, and
innuence na琀椀onal
policies. By consul琀椀ng
widely and working
collabora琀椀vely, we
strive to inspire local
ac琀椀on and safeguard
these rare ecosystems
for the future.
Wensum NbS feature—Credit: Evie Johnston c/o Wendling Beck
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