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Yealm Estuary to Moor
Improving habitats and making space for nature
Yealm Estuary to Moor's land-based activities are working towards restoring and re-connecting wildlife habitat in the River Yealm catchment.
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Our aims include:​
Responding to the climate change emergency through land-based programmes to help wildlife build resilience and thrive
Encouraging natural solutions to reduce pollution from land-based activities
Cooperating with other climate change and wildlife organisations to amplify effectiveness
Encouraging communities that are invested in their local environment and working together to achieve common aims
Promoting health and wellbeing through outdoor, intergenerational, community volunteering activities such as tree growing and planting
Land Projects
Working with landowners to improve wildlife habitats and
water management
Yealm Estuary to Moor supports all local landowners to improve wildlife and water management, whether small private landowners or large estates; industrial sites or community-owned land and recognised wildlife sites. Respecting the purpose/use of the land, we work together to understand what enhancements or natural solutions could best help the environment and the landowner.
Together with expert organisations and volunteers, we offer advice and support, including funding sources, to increase wildlife habitats and find natural solutions to water management/pollution issues.
Solutions can include:
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creating/restoring woodlands or copses
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planting trees, orchards, hedgerows and wildflower meadows
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creating wetland areas, ponds and leaky dams
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stabilising riverbanks and improving the wildlife habitat
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We also have specific programmes of work addressing Invasive Non-Native Species such as Himalayan balsam and Citizen Science monitoring of wildlife to understand our environment and improve the connectivity of key wildlife habitats.
Yealm Estuary to Moor supports all local landowners to improve wildlife and water management, whether small private landowners or large estates; industrial sites or community-owned land and recognised wildlife sites. Respecting the purpose/use of the land, we work together to understand what enhancements or natural solutions could best help the environment and the landowner.
Together with expert organisations and volunteers, we offer advice and support, including funding sources, to increase wildlife habitats and find natural solutions to water management/pollution issues.
Solutions can include:
​
creating/restoring woodlands or copses
planting trees, orchards, hedgerows and wildflower meadows
creating wetland areas, ponds and leaky dams
stabilising riverbanks and improving the wildlife habitat
​
We also have specific programmes of work addressing Invasive Non-Native Species such as Himalayan balsam and Citizen Science monitoring of wildlife to understand our environment and improve the connectivity of key wildlife habitats.
Landowner-led programmes
Landowners of non-farmed land (NFL) are not currently eligible for regular support when trying to manage their land to improve biodiversity, water quality or nature based solutions to flood management.
YEM helps by providing access to advice, support and funding. “The Yealm Erme Species Survival” (YESS) supports NFLs across the both the Yealm and Erme catchments.
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YEM recognises that farmers are facing more demands and challenges than ever in a fast-changing world. Increasing costs, the impacts of climate change and shifts in government policy can all be difficult to predict and manage.
Our goal is to bring expert advice and identify financial support to implement projects that help both nature and farmers.
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Individual or collective industries often have significant land which can be used to enhance wildlife habitats and/or introduce natural solutions that improve surface water management .
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YEM seeks to connect and collaborate with all industries in the Yealm catchment who have land that could be improved or need support with surface water management.
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Project-led activities with landowners
Invasive non-native species (INNS) can dominate habitats and spaces, outcompeting native species and changing the nature of an area. INNS are reportable and landowners are responsible for controlling their spread. YEM conducts an annual survey of the land along the river corridor to check for INNS and works with landowners and volunteers to instigate control measures along the whole length of the river.
Understanding the habitats in the catchment and the changes in biodiversity over time is an important aspect of our work.
Following the success of the citizen science water monitoring, we are now working to monitor certain species of birds, bats, bees and butterflies as an indication of change both over time and in response to restoration and mitigation projects.
Habitat connectivity expands wildlife's ability to find food, water, mates and new territories. By strengthening ecological corridors, species can maintain populations to migrate, adapt to climate change, and recover from environmental disturbances, ensuring the long-term health and biodiversity of ecosystems. We aim to understand how effectively our significant woodland areas are linked via trees and hedgerows.
