In January, the Tamar Catchment Partnership (TCP) welcomed partners along with friends from South Devon Catchment Partnership (SDCP) for the Winter Meeting in the beautiful Yealm catchment.

Fifty-seven partners from 38 organisations met in-person in Wembury and online to hear talks showcasing the fantastic work being carried out around the catchment. We heard updates from Rob Price (EA Catchment Coordinator) and Giles Rickard (TCP Chair). Our keynote speaker was from Yealm Estuary to Moor (YEM) on how wildlife habitats are being restored and reconnected in the Yealm wildlife corridor in this community-led project, followed by presentations on the Wembury Stream Resilience project (Fluvio and National Trust), the Yellow Fish Scheme (Plymouth City Council and TECF), Yealm Intertidal Habitat Improvements (South Devon National Landscape), and water quality citizen scientists the Yealm Dippers, comprising 50 trained volunteers who monitor 29 sites in the Yealm in addition to Riverfly.

Yellow Fish Scheme (Plymouth City Council and TECF)

Seven 2-minute lightning talks gave a snapshot of other partner projects, including the fascinating work of Wembury Marine Conservation Area Advisory Group, including how in 2025 the IUCN Shark Specialist Group (SSG) delineated Wembury Point as an Important Shark and Ray Area (ISRA), largely as a result of a 10 year citizen science project undertaken in partnership with the Shark Trust. We heard research updates from Plymouth Marine Laboratory, the campaign for the Rights of the River from Friends of the Tamar, how marine recovery will be delivered from Cornwall to Sussex by the South Coast Marine Recovery Project (The Wildlife Trust Movement), and an update from the National Trust team at Saltram and Plym Valley on their habitat restoration work (including saltmarshes).

Keynote talk from Yealm Estuary to Moor (YEM) project

There was plenty of time set aside for all important networking, refreshments and lunch, which help to build relationships and nurture collaborative working.

Partners added 24 projects to our Collaborative Working Projects Map, and these will be added to our online map. The map highlights project area crossover and aids collaborative working.

Tamar collaborative working projects map workshop task

For the afternoon site visit, a walk through Wembury village following the Yellow Fish scheme led the group to the southern end of Wembury stream where we saw interventions designed to improve and enhance habitats and the natural hydrological function and water quality of the stream and its floodplain. The Yealm Dippers demonstrated their Westcountry CSI water quality testing.