Animal returns to River Cynon after cleanup, including otters

Otter

Following the start of a program to improve the local wildlife, otter sightings in a Welsh river are increasing.

Following a decline in population due to pollution, as many as five of the creatures have been seen in the River Cynon.

A "wake up call" for the condition of the rivers in the UK was attributed to the decline in otter populations last year.

With the help of volunteers, the River for All project, which runs through south-eastern Wales, aims to increase biodiversity.

The Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund and the South East Wales Rivers Trust are both contributing to the three-year project.

"Before we started on the project, the River Cynon was in poor condition and the wildlife populations were in decline," said Gareth Edge, a River for All officer.

Only a handful of otters had been seen in recent years, he continued.

Otter populations were rebounding in Wales up until the most recent national survey in early 2022 after being wiped out in some parts of the UK in the 1950s and 1960s.

One potential explanation for this decline was pollution.

Otter
More than 500 students from nearby schools have also participated in the project, which teaches about the ecosystem of the river, which includes otters.

The river was "heavily polluted and full of trash, which caused the water quality to be very poor," according to Mr. Edge.

"This meant that smaller fish and mammal populations and other wildlife that are an essential component of the food web for them simply couldn't survive.

"I had never seen an otter in my five years of working on the river, but over the past 18 months, I have seen at least five, and tourists frequently report seeing them. "  .

He continued, calling the 60 project volunteers who helped restore the river a "godsend".

"Projects like a River for All are crucial to helping us maintain a stable ecosystem here in Wales," said Kate Breeze, executive director of wind farm community fund Pen y Cymoedd.

"The fund was established to support not only neighborhood businesses and organizations, but also to preserve and sustain our lovely nation.

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