River Habitat Survey (RHS) and Plant Community survey data of the River Wye SAC 2024

In 2024, a River Habitat Survey (RHS), Simplified Phase 1 survey and LEAFPAC aquatic macrophyte survey was carried out on the River Wye Special Area of Conservation (SAC). This was to contribute to the condition assessment of features in the River Wye SAC as well as provide information to support the management and restoration of protected sites and the delivery of River Basin Management Plans. Twenty-two monitoring sites out of thirty-five possible sites were surveyed in the River Wye catchment between 5th August and 28th September 2024. At each site the following surveys were conducted: • River Habitat Surveys (RHS), to assess the quality of physical habitat, supported by • Simplified Phase 1 survey, and • Aquatic plant surveys using the rivers LEAFPACS method, along with • Field observations of habitat quality to assist with interpretation of the data. The principal outputs of this project are digital copies of field records including photographs, access and parking, along with a description of each site. These surveys were conducted on the Welsh section of the River Wye SAC.