About River Habitat Improvements

The primary aim of the Esks Rivers & Fisheries Trust is to improve the health of aquatic ecosystems. One of the best ways of doing this is to promote natural river processes in areas that have been heavily modified for industry, agriculture and forestry. By encouraging natural river processes, rivers can begin to heal and to form the pools, riffles and glides that are so important to different species and life stages of fish, birds, and invertebrates.

In addition to encouraging river processes, management of the river banks and riparian zones is very important. The trust advocates native broadleaf trees being present along as much of the river as possible. Trees provide a variety of important tasks, such as stabilising river banks, providing shade and cover for aquatic species, providing a source of wood that naturally can promote river processes, and also acting as natural flood managers, by slowing flood waters and retaining water for longer in the soil.