Since 2015
Peatlands
- 450km of blocked ditches
- 3 hectares of pools created
- 513 hectares of conifer clearing
Project
Uwch Conwy Project
The Uwch Conwy (Upper Conwy) catchment covers an area of landscape over 336km² and is home to a vast range of habitats – from blanket bog, moorland and woodland to lush lowland farms, meadows and estuaries. Connecting these habitats are rivers, and we’re working with partners on a project to tackle the effects of climate change and reduce flooding in the area, for the benefit of nature, wildlife and people.
What is the Uwch Conwy catchment project?
The project aims to tackle the effects of climate change and the loss of nature in the Conwy catchment area, for the benefit of people and nature.
Covering the size of the Isle of Wight, the catchment covers three per cent of the area of Wales, which includes 19 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), three Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and one Special Protection Area (SPA).
Increased extreme flooding, poorer water quality and loss of wildlife suggests that nature isn’t in the condition it should be, with many valuable habitats in need of restoration. Consequently, the environment is less adaptable to the extreme weather events that come with climate change.
What we’re doing to help
Working with local communities, organisations, landowners and tenants, we’re creating better, more joined up habitats, rich in wildlife and resilient to the effects of climate change.
While our work is focussed in Upper Conwy, we hope to have positive impacts downstream and beyond the Conwy catchment. Find out more about how we’re achieving our goals in the video below:
Facing the climate crisis at Uwch Conwy
The dramatic terrain of Uwch Conwy in Eryri may look resilient and rugged but it's very vulnerable to climate change. Rivers travel the entire length of this landscape and increased rainfall means the area is at greater risk of severe flooding.
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The project so far in figures
How we’re restoring peatland
A healthy bog is one way of helping to retain water near its source. Y Migneint moor is a good example of this – the rainfall entering Y Migneint is filtered through the sphagnum mosses in the bog, which act like a sponge to slow the flow of the water.
Y Migneint is much wetter today than it was a decade ago, thanks to over 35,000 new dams and over 450km of blocked drainage ditches. In turn, this has helped to restore a precious habitat, improving its ability to store carbon and alleviate flooding downstream, and a wetter bog also helps reduce risk of wildfires and drought.
Combined, this makes Y Migneint a haven for the increasingly rare hen harriers, golden plovers and curlews.
Click on the link to find out more about the latest peatland restoration work in partnership with Admiral: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/services/media/national-trust-and-admiral-announce-three-year-partnership-focusing-on-natural-flood-prevention-in-england-and-wales
River restoration
One of the priorities of the project is restoring the rivers within the catchment, which includes 12 waterbodies over 574km².
One of these rivers is the Afon Machno - a major tributary of the Afon Conwy. Over recent years, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has carried out various flood plain restoration work on it at National Trust Cymru’s Carrog farm.
Part of the work has involved removing man-made embankments and lowering the riverbank, which allows water to once again access the floodplain. This slows the river’s flow during high water levels and helps to reduce flood risk lower down in the catchment.
Scrapes and channels have also been dug on the floodplain to restore historic flow patterns, enabling further water storage.
Work was funded through the Welsh Government’s Water Capital Programme, which supports environmental priorities including river restoration, metal mine remediation, fisheries and water quality and is delivered in partnership by NRW and the National Trust Cymru.
Click on the link to learn more: Natural Resources Wales / River restoration benefits catchment and the environment
Nature Networks Programme work
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Partners and funders
Over the years the project been supported from various funding streams alongside National Trust Cymru, Natural Resources Wales, Riverlands programme, Welsh Government, National Peatland Action Programme, private donations and more recently through the Nature Networks Programme - being delivered by the Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Welsh Government.
We've recently teamed up with Admiral as part of a three-year partnership to help restore and re-wet around 12ha of badly eroded peat in one section of the Migneint blanket bog.
For everyone, for ever
We protect and care for places so people and nature can thrive. Find out who we are and what we stand for.
Our partners
Natural Resources Wales works with the Welsh Government, ensuring the environment and natural resources of Wales are sustainably maintained.
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