Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is pleased to announce plans to enhance the Clackers Brook for the benefit of wildlife and people around Queensway Bridge in Melksham. This project will address the ecological challenges facing the brook and improve its overall water quality and biodiversity.
Rivers, brooks, and streams like the Clackers Brook are vital lifelines for a wide array of wildlife, providing essential habitat for many species, including iconic birds like kingfishers and mammals like the endangered water vole. However, the Clackers Brook has been assessed as ecologically "poor" under the Water Framework Directive (WFD), legislation aimed at improving and protecting the quality of water bodies. This classification indicates that the brook's ecological health is significantly impaired and requires restoration efforts to improve its biodiversity and overall functionality.
To tackle this, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust has developed designs to create habitats in the brook’s banks, creating a high-quality green space for both wildlife and the public. The project will involve re-profiling four small sections of the riverbank to create marginal areas suitable for planting native wildflowers. Marginal areas are zones along the riverbank where the land transitions from water to dry ground. These areas are typically shallow, with varying levels of moisture and vegetation, creating diverse habitats for various plant and animal species. By re-profiling the riverbank, the project will create wider and more gradual marginal areas, which are essential for supporting a rich and diverse ecosystem.
