by Nick Marriner (RTCT Trustee)
The River Thame flows for c.40 miles from its source North East of Aylesbury to Thame across into Oxfordshire until it meets the Thames at Dorchester. Its wider catchment covers 682km² bordered by the Chiltern escarpment to the south, Oxford to the east – a large area for a small organisation.
To help better understand some of the wildlife using the catchment, I set off with an ambition to produce a Bird Atlas to help the Trust answer some headline questions:
Thame Catchment Plan Live
This spring saw the release of the River Thame Catchment Plan. A plan that
outlines the vision, aspirations and goals for improvement to the freshwater
environment in the River Thame catchment. It is a framework document that
will guide the Catchment Partnership’s strategy, action and resource use in the
catchment. Specifically, the plan aims to:
- Provide a clear understanding of the challenges affecting the River
Thame catchment, based on current evidence. - Work out priorities for improvement (what needs doing and where) and to
seek to deliver these improvements in a joined up and cost effective way.
It has been developed by the catchment hosts, River Thame Conservation
Trust and Freshwater Habitats Trust, with the support of the the wider River Thame Catchment Partnership