© Tamasine Stretton
Protect the Montgomery Canal
Help us protect nature at this wildlife-rich waterway
Campaign success but this wildlife haven remains at risk
A thriving ecosystem packed with rare plants and scarce species; a year-round refuge for otters to feed and play; and, in summer, a bustling insect highway, alive with bees, butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies, the Montgomery Canal is one of the best canals for nature in the UK.
Thanks to those Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust supporters who backed our previous campaigns to defend nature at the Montgomery Canal, significant strides have been made. We are now working with Canal & River Trust in Wales to secure a firm commitment that nature will be protected in any plan to introduce motorised boats onto this waterway.
Additionally, through the Montgomery Canal Ecological Forum – a sounding board to review and advise on scientific, ecological, and technical issues related to the canal's restoration – we’ve come together with leading experts on aquatic plants to advise on ways forward. Not only have Canal & River Trust confirmed that monitoring will inform management, motorised boats will also only be introduced if the canal is shown to be in "good ecological condition". Furthermore, we have been assured that no more than 500 boat movements will be allowed initially and increases will only be possible if plant surveys show no damage is being done.
But The Monty is still under threat. A highly invasive aquatic plant called Water Soldier is muscling out the canal’s rare species. Added to this, extreme drought and crumbling infrastructure are leaving the canal dry at times, which is having a huge impact on its wildlife. Meanwhile, funding is being ploughed into opening up the entire Welsh section – 24 miles of wildlife-rich waterway, which runs from Llanymynech to just outside Newtown, via Welshpool – to motorised boats.
The Montgomery Canal runs through Montgomeryshire countryside, as well as towns and villages such as Welshpool, Berriew and Abermule © Flying Film Lab
How can I help?
Back our calls for a nature-first restoration. Tell Canal and River Trust that nature needs the millions: fix the leaks, get rid of the invasive species and halt plans to allow large numbers of motorised boats on the waterway.
The Montgomery Canal is a magical place to visit and for local people to walk because of its wildlife – let’s keep it that way.
Kingfishers are a regular sight along the Montgomery Canal - they benefit from its abundant fish and clear waters © Jon Hawkins/Surrey Hills Photography
Why's the Montgomery Canal so special for wildlife?
While the canal starts in Shropshire near Ellesmere, the majority of its length lies in Wales. This Welsh section is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), as well as being a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) – a designation given to the most important places in the UK for wildlife that are also of international significance.
Its SAC status is primarily for aquatic plants – the waterway supports the largest and most extensive population of the internationally rare Floating Water-plantain in Britain, as well as habitat for other rare plants such as Grass-wrack Pondweed. Around 10 species of dragonflies and damselflies also breed here – including scarce species like the Common Club-tail dragonfly and the White-legged Damselfly. What’s more, the canal is an important feeding ground for otters, kingfishers are frequently seen along its length and bats such as Daubenton’s and Common Pipistrelle roost in its bridges.
Internationally rare aquatic plant, Floating Water-plantain is one of the reasons the canal is an SAC © Richard Lansdown/Wildscreen Exchange
It’s a combination of factors that make the Montgomery Canal an important place for such a variety of wildlife. Like most rural canals, it’s a vital wildlife corridor, enabling birds and animals to move around safely. Then there’s the mixture of different habitats – slow-moving water, verge, hedgerow, reedbed, bridges, crevices in locks and scrubland. But the Montgomery Canal is also very special for the clean, clear quality of its water – something that makes it very attractive to an abundance of creatures, but particularly freshwater species.
Some of this could well be because the majority of the Welsh section has been unnavigable since the canal officially closed to boats in 1944 – with the exception of small, isolated sections in Llanymynech and Welshpool. But it might also be connected with the fact that historically The Monty didn’t experience the high levels of boat traffic other waterways did, and steam tugs and diesel boats allegedly never used it.
The White-legged Damselfly is one of the rare species that thrives on the canal © Iain Leach
Why is the restoration important?
The Montgomery Canal does need some maintenance for its biodiversity. Currently, a lack of funding means it’s difficult to maintain the ideal depth and width of open water required for many of its precious plants and freshwater animals. Part of the proposed restoration would include dredging, which is necessary to restore the canal’s open water conditions and maintain water flow, as well as possibly improving water quality, to safeguard the future of the Floating Water-Plantain and other aquatic life. Similarly, any sympathetic improvements to the towpath and anything else that enhances the visitor experience to the canal, and helps bring people closer to the wealth of wildlife it supports, without harming the natural environment, can only be a good thing for the local community.
The Montgomery Canal is a stronghold for otters who use it as a feeding ground near their riverine homes © Luke Massey/2020VISION
Why are motorised boats such a problem?
While much of the English section of the canal – from Ellesmere in Shropshire to Llanymynech – is navigable by boat and connected to the main canal network, the majority of the Welsh section (with the exception of separate stretches in Llanymynech and Welshpool) remains unnavigable and isolated from the national network.
Part of the proposal for the restoration of the Montgomery Canal in its entirety is that it would make the waterway navigable to all kinds of water vessels, including allowing up to 2,500 motorised boat journeys a year. Motorised boats pose a threat to the canal and its wildlife for several reasons; the boat propellors damage and destroy plant and animal life; they increase turbidity (when the water is cloudy with mud, reducing light levels needed for animal and plant life); they create wake, which breaks up rafts of floating aquatic plants; and they often cause pollution with fuel and waste water. That’s to say nothing of the noise and its impact on birds and mammals such as otters and Water Voles.
As the numbers of motorised boats increase, so too does the impact on the canal and its wildlife; in fact, research shows that a small number of boat movements could help keep the water open for the canal's rare aquatic plants but allowing more than 500 journeys is likely to have a detrimental effect.
This was found to be the case along the Shropshire stretch of the Montgomery Canal, where opening up to motorised boats resulted in numbers of water plants and invertebrates that live in the water declining. The Aston Locks to Keeper's Bridge part of the canal was designated as a SSSI in 1986. It was restored and reopened in 2003 and by 2013 Natural England reported that the site was in an unfavourable condition due to the public access, associated disturbance and pollution.
The Montgomery Canal is a popular breeding site for Mute Swans © Gary Williams Photography
What’s the alternative?
The Montgomery Canal is a wonderful place where people can get close to, and appreciate, nature. In addition to walking and cycling, low impact activities such as canoeing, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding, on a small scale, would enable visitors to enjoy the canal from the water, without too much disturbance. We would also advocate for the use of horse-drawn boats, like are used on the Llangollen Canal, as these boats do not have motors or propellors and are much slower moving so they create no wake.
Its natural beauty and the flat, easy terrain of the towpath makes The Monty popular amongst walkers and cyclists; these activities are very low impact © Flying Film Lab
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions and answers about the canal's proposed restoration plans
Q: What’s Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust’s relationship with the Montgomery Canal?
A: The Montgomery Canal is owned and managed by Glandwr Cymru, Canal & River Trust in Wales. However, MWT have a long and special relationship with the canal. It runs through the county like an artery, linking up many of our nature reserves; 9 of our reserves are within the canal corridor (5km either side of the waterway) and 5 of these are in very easy walking distance or located just off the canal towpath. We have carried out considerable conservation work, such as wildlife surveys, and litter-picking along its length over the years. What’s more, thanks to its SSSI and particularly SAC status, we’re passionate about its protection – as it’s one of Montgomeryshire’s most important places for nature.
Q: Wasn’t the Montgomery Canal originally built for motorised boats?
A: You could be forgiven for thinking this, but actually the canal pre-dates motorised boats, Construction commenced in the mid-1790s and the entire waterway was opened in 1819. At this time, wooden horse-drawn narrow boats would have been used on the waterway to transport lime and coal around the county. Motorised vessels were not introduced in the UK until the late 19th century with steam power, and then gas and diesel motors from the turn of the next century. It’s believed that because the Montgomery Canal’s use was already in decline by this time, steam tugs and diesel boats never travelled on it. Despite the canal's origins as a means of transporting agricultural and industrial materials, it has since evolved into an incredibly important place for wildlife at a time when nature is in crisis and every remaining wildlife refuge is immeasurably precious.
Q: Aren’t there off-line nature reserves planned that will off-set any damage caused by motorised boats?
A: Several linked off-line reserves were created in the 1970s when restoration work on the canal first started. This was done to protect examples of the habitats and species found in the canal. Sadly, these reserves have failed to replicate the conditions of the Montgomery Canal that enable rare species to thrive and the transplanted populations have died out.
Take action now
Getting in contact with your local MS or MP to raise your concerns, or helping raise awareness of the issue in local media by writing to your MP, is easy using the links below:
