The rivers Wye and Usk are important plant and wildlife habitats, recognised as Special Areas of Conservation.
In the summer, the rivers have small white flowers floating on the surface. This is water crowfoot, also known as ranunculus, and it provides a rich environment for many freshwater species to flourish.
In recent years, sightings of this vital plant species have significantly reduced, with experts estimating that over 90% has been lost in the River Wye over the last decade.
This project builds on the Big Ranunculus Watch of 2025 – a community project which involved collecting photos of water crowfoot from local people. Over the next two years, communities will continue to collect pictures of the plant. These will then be cross-matched with satellite imagery, drone footage and ecological records to create a database to help track the species’ decline.
Other activities include:
- creating three jobs to manage the project and deliver public engagement activities
- curating a publicly available archive of botanical records
- monitoring and surveys of key sites to understand the biodiversity loss
- reporting and evaluating data to inform future nature recovery work
Tom Tibbits, Chair of Friends of the River Wye, says: “We want to find out what has been lost and why this has happened. We will bring together experts and local residents to explore what can be done to help this vital habitat return. We hope this work will pave the way for restoring these plants to their former glory along these rivers.”
This project was awarded funding through the Nature Networks Fund, distributed by the Heritage Fund on behalf of the Welsh Government and in partnership with Natural Resources Wales.
