Izzy Moser has just been appointed as Fresh Water Pearl Mussel Project Officer for the Biosphere area. Over the next three years she will work with river management partners and local communities to reduce river pollution, build knowledge about this pollution sensitive species and try to safeguard its future in north Devon; some of the most important populations remaining in England.
The Pearl Mussel project part of the Biffa Rebuilding Biodiversity Partnership Scheme that is funding site-based projects to protect and enhance biodiversity across the UK, particularly those concentrating on species and habitats that have been identified as a priority in Biodiversity Action Plans.
The freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) is a long lived species with a potential lifespan of over a hundred years. It is critically endangered with experts believing that diffuse pollution and sedimentation are among the core threats to its survival in England.
Since the start of the year the North Devon Biosphere has organised habitat walkover surveys on 16km of the River Torridge. They have been conducted by 11 volunteers and a co-ordinator, walking the river bank and recording in stream and bankside features. The features are then digitally mapped; making it easy and clear to pinpoint which areas need priority for targeting to improve the river suitability for the mussels.
Two further stretches of the River Torridge will be surveyed throughout May and June.
As well as surveying for important features the volunteers have also been delighted to see and record kingfishers, dippers, wagtails, and evidence of otters as well as witness the onset of Spring and the wildflowers associated, wild garlic, bluebells, and woodland anemones to name a few.
The Pearl Mussel project part of the Biffa Rebuilding Biodiversity Partnership Scheme that is funding site-based projects to protect and enhance biodiversity across the UK, particularly those concentrating on species and habitats that have been identified as a priority in Biodiversity Action Plans.
The freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) is a long lived species with a potential lifespan of over a hundred years. It is critically endangered with experts believing that diffuse pollution and sedimentation are among the core threats to its survival in England.
Since the start of the year the North Devon Biosphere has organised habitat walkover surveys on 16km of the River Torridge. They have been conducted by 11 volunteers and a co-ordinator, walking the river bank and recording in stream and bankside features. The features are then digitally mapped; making it easy and clear to pinpoint which areas need priority for targeting to improve the river suitability for the mussels.
Two further stretches of the River Torridge will be surveyed throughout May and June.
As well as surveying for important features the volunteers have also been delighted to see and record kingfishers, dippers, wagtails, and evidence of otters as well as witness the onset of Spring and the wildflowers associated, wild garlic, bluebells, and woodland anemones to name a few.
