Ecological assessment
- Provide regional context
- Identify priority habitats
- Identify and prioritise a range of possible restoration strategies
- Outline the hydrological/hydrogeological requirements of the proposed restoration
Waterbodies and wetlands can provide potentially valuable habitats, especially if the ecological interest of the restoration is maximised. However, adverse effects upon existing features of ecological interest may also result. Effects may include the modification of surface flows to watercourses or existing ponds, and alteration of groundwater seepages, flushes or spring flows. Restoration presents the opportunity to reinstate areas of habitat which may have historically been important historically to the local area. The creation of wetlands as part of wildlife corridors, or as ‘stepping stones’, also adds significantly to their potential conservation value and should be carefully considered during the restoration design process.