Extended Riverfly

The Riverfly Extended Scheme, an expanded version of the Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (RMI), was launched with two main goals:

• To provide more detailed data on streams and rivers — interpretation of these data is aided by two new biotic indices to detect and measure pollution and habitat degradation.

• To provide a training and progression pathway for volunteers to develop and improve their freshwater invertebrate identification skills. Once volunteers are confident in their bankside identification of the eight RMI groups, they can progress — Extended is not a starting point for anyone wanting to monitor the health of their waterways.

The number of freshwater invertebrate groups monitored is expanded from the eight in RMI to thirty-three in the Extended scheme.

The Extended scheme is supported by an identification chart and training workshops, both of which have proved very popular with volunteers. It is hoped that the addition of this new Extended Scheme will encourage greater engagement in Riverfly monitoring, provide existing monitors with a way to further their knowledge and attract more volunteers to this fascinating subject. This will help to preserve and conserve the valuable wildlife of our streams and rivers.

Training includes background information on how the Riverfly Extended Scheme was developed as well as hands-on bankside sessions for the identification of the thirty-three invertebrate groups. Details of training can be obtained from your local RMI hub coordinator.