River survey by air to beat virus

Water crowfoot provide habitats for wildlife

Conservationists are taking to the air in a bid to carry out a survey without risking the spread of foot-and mouth.

A helicopter will fly the length of the River Dee in north Wales, while a cameraman onboard will film the river's course and wildlife on behalf of the Countryside Council for Wales.

At the moment we can't survey the river on foot because of foot-and-mouth restrictions - so our plans have quite literally been thrown up in the air!"

Rhys Williams, Countryside Council for Wales

There had been fears that the planned survey might have had to be postponed because of restrictions imposed to control the foot-and-mouth virus.

A team of river experts from the CCW will begin their flight between Bala and Chester on Monday.

Video footage from the flight will then be used to give CCW staff essential information about the river's course, and about the kind of flora and fauna living in the vicinity.

"At the moment we can't survey the river on foot because of foot-and-mouth restrictions," said Rhys Williams, CCW's River Dee team leader

"So our plans have quite literally been thrown up in the air."

CCW and its English equivalent English Nature are in the process of designating the River Dee and four of its tributaries - the Ceiriog, Tryweryn, Mynach, and Meloch - as Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Otter numbers will also be monitored

The river is also being considered as a candidate Special Area of Conservation - making it of European importance.

"We had two surveys planned for the river Dee this year - one to survey the potential boundary of the SSSI, and the second to assess the extent of water crowfoot beds," Mr Williams explained.

"They are in bloom at this time of year and their delicate white flowers with yellow centres, which belong to the buttercup family, can be seen floating in vast rafts on the surface of the water.

"This in-river habitat is particularly valuable for fish and invertebrates."

Warning sign

"This survey will not only help us to assess the condition of these water crowfoot beds, but will also be vital when we develop the river management plans to safeguard, and where possible enhance, this habitat within the river Dee."

River water crowfoot needs swift-flowing, oxygen-rich water, whic is clean and free of pollutants - so a significant reduction in their number can act as a warning sign to environmentalists about the state of the water.

Other species of interest on the Dee include salmon, otter, bullhead, and three species of lamprey - an intriguing looking fish that have suckers instead of a mouth.

Lampreys only survive in clean, unpolluted rivers, so protection of waterways is essential.

"We must do all we can to make sure that the River Dee stays so clean and allow its wide range of wildlife to thrive," Mr Williams said.