25 Jun 2024

By Guglielmo Sonnino Sorisio, PhD Candidate in Ecohydraulics, Cardiff University and Catherine Wilson, Professor in Environmental Hydraulics, Cardiff University. The European eel Anguilla anguilla, a sleek, snake-like fish with a fascinating life cycle, once teemed in rivers. But their numbers have plummeted by over 95% since the 1980s. Behind this dramatic decline is a combination of threats, including […]

12 Jun 2024

More environmental groups have set out their expectations and requests for political parties to consider in their manifestos and election campaigning. They include Save Britain’s Rivers: i challenges all parties to commit to election manifesto RIVER HEALTH: 77 per cent of rivers in good health by 2027. SEWAGE: Sewage spills will not damage high-priority areas […]

14 May 2024

Deeply concerning’ failures to properly implement regulations designed to protect rivers, lakes and coastal waters in England mean key targets for improvement will be missed, a report by the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has found. As part of its role to monitor how environmental laws are working in practice the OEP has carried out […]

08 May 2024

Last weekend (3-6 May), the Rivers Trust ran its Big River Watch weekend – a simple citizen science activity that helps build a picture of river health across the UK and Ireland. The app and survey will remain open to collect data year-round. So, if you run a volunteer group or you’re interested in continuing […]

08 May 2024

Severn Trent Water has published its Get River Positive annual report. It includes five pledges to make our region’s rivers the healthiest they can be, as quickly as possible. Ensure storm overflows and sewage treatment works do not harm rivers Create more opportunities for everyone to enjoy our region’s rivers Support others to improve and […]

06 May 2024

Research has uncovered that nearly half of the world’s estuaries have been directly altered by human activities. Estuaries, vital transition zones between freshwater and marine environments can be called ‘nurseries of the sea’ as not only animals but also humans commonly rely on them for nesting and breeding as well as tourism, fisheries, and recreational […]

13 Mar 2024

The Sustainable Solutions for Water and Nature (SSWAN) partnership has published an outline of a new model and discussion paper for regulation of the water environment. The new SSWAN model shifts regulation towards catchment-based approaches to support cheaper, more innovative, more collaborative projects that more accurately reflect local priorities. SSWAN proposes a four-tier regulatory framework: […]

28 Feb 2024

How unhealthy are our rivers? The latest Rivers Trust State of Our Rivers Report finds that: No single stretch of river in England or Northern Ireland is in good overall health. Just 15% of English, 31% of Northern Irish, and 50% of Irish river stretches reach good ecological health standards. Toxic chemicals persist in every […]