Afon Wen Habitat Restoration
The Afon Wen drains the southern fringe of the Coed-Y-Brenin conifer forest and is one of the few Mawddach tributaries that remains accessible to migratory fish for much of its length. Historically the stream has suffered from heavy metal mine-water pollution, acidification from the forestry and the excavation of the riverbed by gold prospectors.
The devastating flood in 2001 stripped much of the spawning gravel from the channel. Recent NWRT and NRW projects have introduced numerous timber gravel traps to help reinstate stable spawning beds with reasonable success. The development of a broad deciduous riparian buffer zone between the forestry roads would help mitigate some of the water quality issues and help the regeneration of the in-river habitat.
This scheme removed self-seeded conifers over a 1km length of the Afon Wen downstream of the natural fall and footbridge (Fig1). After this clearing, areas have been identified that are suitable for new broadleaf tree planting and other invasive species (rhododendron and Japanese knotweed) have been revealed that will be removed in 2022.This area contains the established gravel trap spawning bed works and the scheme will assist the development of a healthy deciduous riparian buffer.
