NRW Freshwater River Macrophytes
Natural Resources Wales
Macrophytes (water plants visible to the naked eye) can indicate the impact of pressures such as increased nutrients, flow pressures, channel alterations etc. The species present and their abundance give an indication as to the health of a river. This dataset is made up of site information, sample metrics and taxa details for each survey conducted across Wales by Natural Resources Wales and former Environment Agency Wales since 1993. These surveys are conducted as part of on-going monitoring of river water quality for legislative requirements and to meet business drivers.
A strict methodology is applied when sampling for freshwater macrophytes. There is a core network of sites which are monitoring on a three-year rolling programme. These sites are added to for investigative work, or on an ad hoc basis. Sampling areas are located with a larger survey area and must be representative of the overall survey area. A standard cover-class method is the most commonly used method for sampling freshwater macrophytes. Macrophyte species are identified on site and confirmed in the laboratory if necessary.
Redactions
Some information has be redacted to make the data openly available. This includes
- Third party data
- Data collected for ongoing investigations
- Cancelled or incomplete surveys
- Taxa that falls within NRWs policy on Ecological data exempt from general release
Update Frequency
This data is continually updated with the most surveys undertaken in the summer period (June to September). Data from survey seasons is entered as soon as possible following the surveys. The external dataset is updated monthly to include new data, and may also contain corrections to previously published data due to quality assurance work.
Information Warnings
- We do our best to avoid data quality problems, but as these datasets reflect the data we hold, they may contain errors
- The data is provided as a set of related data tables due to the quantity and structure of the data. A basic understanding of ecology and relational data is assumed.
- Data related to pollution incident investigations or protected species information is not released as locational information of these sites may be detrimental to ongoing investigations or species protection.
Further Information:
Please see the following documents for further information
Attribution statement
Contains Natural Resources Wales information © Natural Resources Wales and Database Right. All rights Reserved.
Use this data in another application
Please refer to the licence to understand the conditions of using this data.
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Spatial data (3)
- Freshwater Macrophytes Site Detail
- Freshwater Macrophytes Taxa
- Freshwater Macrophytes Sample Metrics
Maps using this data (0)
Or display data on an existing map
- Type:
- Spatial data
- Category:
- Environment
- Publication date:
- 22 April 2025
- Licence:
- Open Government Licence for Public Sector Information (OGL)
-
Copyright:
- Point of contact:
- opendata@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk
- Language
- English