Habitat & Rewilding
Why Rain After Drought Can Cause a Pollution “First Flush” — and How Habitat Creation Can Help
The first substantial rain after a drought can carry a concentrated pulse of sediment, nutrients and other pollutants into ponds, ditches and rivers. Well-designed wetlands, swales, buffers and sediment traps can help slow, spread and filter that runoff while creating valuable habitat.
Building a Stronger Habitat Restoration Partner Network Across Devon and Cornwall
SAS Aquatics is strengthening its network of ecologists, surveyors, specialist contractors, suppliers and habitat professionals for projects across Devon, Cornwall and the South West.
Check Dams and Leaky Dams: Slowing Runoff, Reducing Erosion and Creating Better Habitat
A practical guide to using check dams and leaky dams to slow runoff, reduce erosion, trap sediment and create better wildlife habitat on farms, estates and larger sites.
Why Wetter Land Matters: Fire Resilience, Water Security and Wildlife
Why restoring water to the right parts of a landscape can help reduce wildfire vulnerability while supporting drought resilience, flood management, cleaner water and richer habitat.
Rewilding in Action: If Not Now, When? 2026 at Rewilding Coombeshead
Event archive: If Not Now, When? 2026 took place at Rewilding Coombeshead from 24 to 26 July 2026. Ticket sales are closed. This article is retained as a record of the programme and the practical rewilding themes it brought together. Rewilding in Action: If Not Now, When? 2026 at Rewilding Coombeshead At SAS Aquatics, our…
Seaton Wetlands: What It Teaches Us About Creating Better Wetlands
Seaton Wetlands is one of Devon’s best examples of how carefully restored water, marshland and reedbed habitats can transform a landscape. We look at the practical lessons it offers for wildlife ponds and wetland projects of every size.
Devon’s Living Waters: How Ponds, Streams and Wetlands Are Bringing Biodiversity Back
A Devon Morning Reawakened Early light ripples across a new pond near Yelverton. Water mint releases its scent as dragonflies rise from the shallows; a frog plops from a fringe of sedge; and a small cloud of damselflies flashes electric blue above the surface. For many years, this field was hard-drained pasture. Now, under a…
Community Ponds & Pocket Wetlands: How to Rewild Shared Spaces in Devon
A single pond can bring life back to a whole community space — dragonflies over the water, birds at the margins, and children discovering frogs for the first time. Across Devon and Cornwall, more parish councils, schools, and local groups are discovering that small-scale water projects can deliver huge ecological, educational, and wellbeing benefits. At…
The Common Toad’s Decline in the UK: How Rewilding, Wetlands, and Wildlife Ponds Can Help in Devon and Cornwall
The common toad (Bufo bufo) has long been an iconic part of Britain’s countryside, inspiring myths, folklore and even children’s stories like The Wind in the Willows. But behind this cultural heritage lies a stark reality: the once-abundant common toad is becoming alarmingly uncommon. Recent studies show that toad populations in the UK have almost…
How Habitat Creation Can Support Land Resilience and Rural Income
Rewilding is often seen as something that happens on vast estates or remote reserves, but the truth is simpler: every landowner can benefit from letting nature back in. Whether you manage a farm, a smallholding, or a community space, rewilding can improve biodiversity, strengthen your land’s resilience, and open up new streams of income. At…
Northern Pool Frog in the UK: Habitat, Food & Rewilding Potential
The Northern Pool Frog: Restoring the UK’s Rarest Amphibian When we think of rare amphibians in the UK, the Great Crested Newt usually comes to mind — it’s strictly protected, a flagship species for ponds, and a regular feature in conservation headlines. But did you know there is an even rarer amphibian, once native to…
Moor Barton Wilding: Rewilding, Beavers & Habitat Restoration on Dartmoor
Moor Barton Wilding: Rewilding in Action on Dartmoor Moor Barton Wilding is one of the most inspiring rewilding projects in the UK. Set on some 120 acres of land in Dartmoor, Devon, Moor Barton is doing more than just talking about restoring nature—it’s doing it, with people, with species, and with real, visible ecological transformation.…
Beavers in the UK: Why They’re Essential for Habitats & Flood Control
Beavers in the UK: The Complete Guide to Reintroduction, Habitat Benefits, and Conservation Beavers (Castor fiber) have captured the UK’s imagination in recent years. Once hunted to extinction in the 16th century for their fur, meat, and castoreum, these extraordinary ecosystem engineers are now making a comeback. From river valleys in Devon to wetlands in…