Farmers work to protect ‘globally rare’ River Ebble chalk stream
They hope new measures will help keep it "crystal clear"
Salisbury farmers are among some working to keep the ‘globally rare’ River Ebble chalk stream, crystal clear, by combating the run-off caused by farm tracks.
Chalke Valley farmers have installed cross-drains to combat the sediment-rich run-off, in an effort to protect the river and the wildlife habitats that depend on it.
They're also planting Italian Ryegrass after the maize crop to keep the soil in the fields.
Described as a ‘globally rare’ habitat, the River Ebble flows for 12 miles through the farmland, villages and downland of Chalke Valley in Wiltshire, before joining the River Avon, near Salisbury.
It is a precious habitat that the members of the Chalke Valley Farmer Cluster have put right at the heart of their conservation efforts, the group tells us.
The farmers are working with the Wessex Rivers Trust, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, FWAG SW and Cranborne Chase AONB on a project called the Crystal Clear Ebble.
The farmers hope that their efforts will inspire others in the catchment and beyond.
Lead Farmer for the Chalke Valley Farmer Cluster, Andrew Reis, said:
“Apart from its own ecology, it supports a myriad of other wildlife species which we wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for the river."
Farmer Matthew Pickford added:
“If we lead, by keeping it clean and looking after it. others who have use of the river will see what we’re doing and hopefully follow."
The farmer cluster is part of the Environmental Farmers Group (EFG) which facilitates access to environmental schemes and aims, through natural capital trading, to deliver better water quality and wildlife habitat across the Hampshire Avon catchment.
Alex Deacon, Catchment Partnerships Manager for the Wessex Rivers Trust, said:
“The farmers are in a fortunate position in that they can work together and deliver things at scale, which is a real benefit to biodiversity. We are working with the farmer cluster to plan and look at the opportunities to enhance things on a joined-up basis.”
Alex believes that the Chalke Valley Farmer Cluster’s actions are replicable along the course of the river, and that “the EFG has real potential to bring a lot of benefits for the health of our rivers in the Avon catchment”.