Salix Working to Improve Wildlife Habitats

With the help of Salix, the Norfolk Rivers Trust is improving fish and other river wildlife habitats on the River Babingley near Flitcham, one of only two hundred chalk rivers left in the world.

The River Babingley rises from chalk springs above the villages of Flitcham and Hillington in North West Norfolk, meanders through the Royal Sandringham Estate and joins the sea through Wootton Marsh into the Great River Ouse.

Chris Mackintosh-Smith, Project Manager for Salix, said: “In the past the River Babingley powered many mills, which led to man-made modifications to control its flow.”

“Working with the Norfolk Rivers Trust and cbec eco-engineering, who surveyed and modeled the upper reaches of the river to produce river restoration designs, our project includes a series of ecological enhancements. These improve the river’s flow and biodiversity through this reach, making it more natural again,” added Chris Mackintosh-Smith.

During the project, Salix used local timber and gravel for channel re-shaping, narrowing and deepening, offering a more diverse range of passages and variations in water movement.

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