Defra have announced the projects that will receive funding from the Landscape Recovery Scheme. The initiative is being hailed by land managers and conservationists as the most “exciting and important” step in a generation to restore lost biodiversity. Projects include recreating water meadows in the Cotswolds, reviving eel-rich waterways in the Severn Valley, and restoring […]
Rights for rivers? Great article in The Ecologist magazine Should rivers be given legal rights like humans? A Bristol campaigner is testing the waters of British law in an effort to protect the Avon from further pollution. Hail Mary! Statue’s trip down the Wye raises chicken pollution issue Artist Philip Chatfield hopes river journey will […]
Water UK blog Water and sewerage are uniquely sensitive to the impacts of a changing climate. The water industry has been working hard on its response: from mitigating industry’s own carbon emissions, to managing the multi-decadal impact of increased rainfall, to preparing for increased algal blooms in water sources. More than any other impact, though, we worry about […]
Wild Atlantic salmon stocks are reaching crisis point the Environment Agency (EA) has said) as the latest stock assessment report estimates they are at their lowest levels on record. UK rivers are traditional breeding grounds for Atlantic salmon and are classed as an iconic species in our rivers, however, many factors are impacting on their […]
The Environment Agency has launched a new crowd reporter website to enable Severn Valley residents to share details of flooding in their communities. The Severn Valley Water Management Scheme (SVWMS) Crowd Reporter is a crowd-sourced mapping tool which can be used to submit descriptions and pictures of localised flooding. Residents are encouraged to use the […]
Common medications, as well as illegal drugs, released into the environment can damage ecosystems and interfere with the growth and behaviour of animals and plants. The medicines that make us well are having untold impacts on nature, says a news piece from the Natural History Museum. After entering the water through sewage systems, rainwater runoff and factory discharges, […]
The Our Phosphorus Future report is the most comprehensive global analysis of the challenges and possible solutions to the phosphorus crisis to date. It has been written by a team of 40 international experts from 17 countries led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and the University of Edinburgh and is supported by the […]
Environment Agency experts investigating reports of fish deaths in a Northumberland river believe a natural fungal infection to be the cause. A small number of dead and dying salmon and sea trout were first reported in the lower Coquet in the Warkworth and Felton areas. These fish all showed signs of fungal infections. Reports have […]