1. Chalk Rivers in Hampshire
2. Otters and Rivers Project
3. The STREAM Project
4. Living Rivers Project
5. Managing River Valleys for Bats

1. Chalk Rivers in Hampshire

Due to the geology of the area Hampshire has some of the best chalk streams in the world including the Rivers Itchen, Avon and Test. These rivers are wildlife havens but are fragile and can easily be damaged under mounting pressure from people. Their special importance for wildlife has been recognised nationally and in a European context and they are strictly protected under various designations. The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, the Environment Agency, English Nature and many other partners, work together to protect the flora and fauna of these rivers and conserve the natural habitats to ensure these special sites are restored when damaged and further protected for the future.

A top quality chalk river has characteristic species of plants, invertebrates, fish, mammals and birds and a mosaic of habitats including gravel runs and glides, water-crowfoot beds, side channels, wet woodland and marshes.

Chalk rivers are an intrinsic part of our cultural heritage, for example, the River Itchen has been heavily modified to meet the water management needs for milling, to support the network of watermeadow systems and for navigation. Several of Hampshire’s chalk rivers are also world-famous for their fly-fishing, and Hampshire’s famous Rivers Test and Itchen are heralded as the birthplace of this skilful pursuit.

The present character of chalk rivers in Hampshire reflects a long history of agriculture, industry and fisheries activities and many now have poor habitat quality because of the increased demand for clean chalk water for these human activities. The cumulative effect of more intensive agricultural practices and urban developments in many chalk river catchments, along with the long term impacts of climate change, could have significant effects on river flows and wildlife.

The Trust is currently undertaking conservation projects on the Rivers Anton, Loddon and Avon and is about to undertake a five year programme of river restoration work on the Itchen Navigation. 

2. Otters and Rivers Project

The South East Otters and Rivers Project is a partnership project between the Environment Agency and the Wildlife Trusts of Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Over the past ten years the project has been liaising with many hundreds of landowners and relevant organisations in promoting natural otter recovery through more sympathetic management of wetland environments. Find out more about the Otters and Rivers Project.

View footage of Otters of otters passing through the National Trust’s City Mill in Winchester – just a 5 minute walk from the Wildlife Trust’s Winnall Moors Reserve and the Itchen Navigation.

3. The STREAM Project

STREAM - Strategic Restoration and Management of the River Avon SAC is a £1 million project centred on the River Avon and Avon Valley in Wiltshire and Hampshire and supported financially by the EC LIFE Nature Programme.

The project began in 2005 and its key objectives include to demonstrate and monitor river restoration at six sites covering 7km, as well as to hold a series of public open days to raise awareness of the river system in the local community. Find out more about the STREAM Project .

4. Living Rivers Project

The Living River project aims to increase awareness and appreciation of the River Avon and its tributaries. It focuses on how the special wildlife of the river has developed alongside the history of the area. Working with local communities from the rivers' headwaters in the Wiltshire Downs to the sea at Christchurch, the project will involve people who live and work in the River Avon catchment in the conservation of its natural heritage. Find out more about the Living Rivers Project.

5. Managing River Valleys for Bats

An advice leaflet has been produced by the Trust and the Environment Agency, which suggests that river valleys may be priority areas for bat conservation.

The leaflet, aimed primarily at landowners and those providing land management advice, stresses that bats need three things – (i) suitable roosts for resting, shelter, breeding and hibernation, (ii) insect-rich feeding areas, and (iii) "flyway" connections between roosts and feeding areas. Studies in Hampshire have suggested that bats feed in greater concentrations in river valleys, probably due to the abundance of insect prey and the fact that rivers act as excellent corridors, linking the landscape.

The leaflet provides practical advice on habitat management to help bats, with sections on grasslands, livestock, arable land, trees, hedges and woodland, and watercourses, ponds and wetlands. 

Click to download the Managing River Valleys for Bats leaflet.