ES RDE 010 - Clun Nature Recovery Blueprint

The River Clun Special Area of Conservation (SAC) holds a rapidly diminishing population of freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera. Much work has been done in the catchment to improve our understanding of the reasons for decline and deliver practical measures through Catchment Sensitive Farming, Agri-environment schemes and projects. Further work is need to address specific issues, namely the exceedance of phosphate, nitrogen and sediment targets and the changes in flows to the catchment which have resulted in a 'flashy' river susceptible to impacts of both flood and drought. Natural England are now leading on a Protected Site Strategy pilot project in the Clun catchment, and the foundational workstream for this project is the Clun Nature Recovery Blueprint (NRB).