AVACC President’s Environmental Award
The purpose of the AVACC President’s Environmental Award is to support a BioSciences undergraduate or postgraduate student to carry out a research project on conservation of river biodiversity in the Afan catchment, or on rivers of South Wales. The award will support any field or desktop project that advances a better understanding and conservation of the Afan catchment, including studies that examine current and historical impacts of pollution and fragmentation, changes in climate and land use, as well as studies on all freshwater species found in the River Afan, currently or historically, including fish, invertebrates, plants, and mammals, both native and invasive.
On Friday 6th of September 24, following our informal end of season fishing competition we were joined by Professor Carlos Garcia De Leaniz from Swansea University together with the two students who were the recipients of the award this year. The students were Rhys Sweeney from Loughor and Dorothy Hazel from Colorado. The students worked together but presented individuals papers on the effects of fragmentation due to Culverts on the Afan Catchment. A slideshow with data, graphs and photographs together with explanations of the findings were offered to the members and interested parties. The presentation was well received with a number of questions following the presentation. John Phillips (President for Life) then presented the students with inscribed glass trophies as a memento and the hope they would remember and promote AVACC in the future.
