Grantee: Buglife

Duration: October 2022 – October 2024

 

While the health of UK rivers is in decline, statutory monitoring programmes run by SEPA (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency) only cover 10% of water bodies. It is vital to collect long term data that tracks how species are faring, and the ways in which environmental changes are affecting them.

The Guardians of Our Rivers Project addresses this knowledge gap through a citizen-science programme of riverfly monitoring. ‘Riverflies’ are a group of freshwater invertebrates that play a crucial role in the aquatic food chain, maintaining clean water and providing a food source for other wildlife. They are an ‘indicator species’, meaning their presence or absence from a river is a good indicator of ecosystem health.

The Project

Led by national charity Buglife, Guardians of our Rivers aims to engage local communities in protecting and monitoring their local freshwater habitats. Through setting-up groups, training volunteers, and distributing equipment, the project empowers communities to take an active role in the stewardship of rivers.

The Highlands and Islands are home to some of the most important rivers for critically endangered Atlantic Salmon, but before HIEF funding there was only one active group in the region. Two years later, fifteen new groups have been established, from Kinlochbervie in the North West to the River Dee catchment in the East.

Across the groups, training was delivered to just under 200 people, resulting in 124 surveys being submitted to the UK wide Anglers Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (ARMI), an accessible long-term dataset used to understand environmental pressures and inform conservation efforts. An incredible 58 engagement events, such as presentations, stalls, and workshops, reached over 2800 people from all walks of life. The project also collaborated with two university projects, was showcased at three conferences, and featured on BBC Scotland – Landward.

These awareness raising aspects ensures the network will continue to grow, with future development focusing on engagement with schools and landowners.

The Guardians of Our Rivers project in action!

Photos 1-5: Rebecca Lewis, photo 6: River Fly on the Esk.