Sadly, Natural England have acknowledged that the site can no longer provide habitat for ground-nesting birds due to the amount of dogs which run free here. And the high footfall has a detrimental effect to the ground itself: as well as eroding the surface of the bank, this pressure destroys the bankside vegetation, which in turn increases the problem of erosion, as vegetation acts as a buffer against the water flow.
We’ve carried out these remedial measures in the recent past, with positive results: vegetation bloomed back again in fenced off locations within a couple of years, and water voles returned to a previously abandoned area. After the breeding bird season has finished later this summer, we plan to re-open an area which has been fenced off for a number of years and has since thrived.