In 2025, a group of local stakeholders, including Sharpham Trust and Ambios, Bioregional Learning Centre and The Environment Agency among others, coalesced to protect and restore the saltmarsh habitat near Sharpham House. Existing saltmarsh was stabilised through the addition of leaky dams and the work of a wonderful team of volunteers. To highlight the saltmarsh’s historic and cultural significance the below video was created with the help of partners, artists and the local community.
Beyond the existing saltmarsh that was reinforced in 2025, there is an area of historical saltmarsh that has been lost over the years due to erosion. Future efforts to protect and re-establish this habitat are intended, and planning around the next move is underway. Keep up to date on this project on this page and through our partners’ social media accounts.
This project of restoring saltmarsh on the River Dart has been made possible through a partnership with The Sharpham Trust, The Bioregional Learning Centre, Dart Harbour Authority, The Environment Agency.
The tentacled lagoon worm (Alkmaria romijni) is a polychaete (bristle worm) in the family Ampharetidae and is considered important enough to be specifically protected. It spends its entire life either on the surface or partly buried in mud, within tubes it builds by gluing sediment together. The worms use the tentacles around their mouths to feed on detritus which settles near their tubes. It is a contributor to the designation of sections of the Dart river as a Marine Protection areas.
Ambios is working alongside local film-maker and writer Emma George to offer groups field trips to explore the different ecosystems along the river and learn about rewilding. We will visit the mudflats and get a sense of the creatures within it.
Emma will then work with the groups to creatively imagine the tentacled lagoon worm with poetry, clay, puppets and artworks, producing an animated poem at the end of our project.
We’re proud to be a part of the River Dart Catchment Partnership. The River Dart Catchment Partnership was established in 2024 and brings together a broad range of stakeholders throughout the catchment who are interested in achieving a better river for people and nature.
The Wild River Dart Action Plan has been developed by the Partnership and outlines collaborative efforts to significantly improve the condition of the River Dart over the next ten years by addressing local challenges and implementing projects that achieve shared goals. By working collaboratively, partnerships can deliver cost-effective solutions with multiple benefits, such as improved water quality, landscape-scale nature recovery, flood risk reduction and community engagement. The partnership theme is integral across all River Dart projects.
From the source to the sea, the partnership wants to tackle issues throughout the catchment area.
Our waterways are under increasing pressure from pollution and biodiversity loss, and addressing this and consequently obtaining the highest possible water quality standard is a main priority for this partnership.
To allow the everchanging pressures the river is subject to, the approach will be dynamic and adaptive.
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