The UK’s rivers, ponds, lakes, streams and wetlands are in crisis, but a national conservation charity has unveiled a bold new plan to reverse the decline in freshwater wildlife within just 10 years.
Freshwater Habitats Trust has today (23rd April 2025) launched its vision for the Freshwater Network, a science-based strategy to build a cleaner, more connected, network of habitats for wildlife. Now, at a critical time for the future of freshwater, the charity is calling on other organisations to join the effort.
One in four UK freshwater plant and animal species is now classed as rare or threatened and almost all rivers, lakes and small freshwaters are impacted by pollution. According to Freshwater Habitats Trust, adopting the Freshwater Network could double the extent of unpolluted freshwater habitats and achieve an increase in species that are currently rare or declining by 2035.
The Freshwater Network turns on its head the current focus on cleaning up polluted and degraded habitats. Instead, it prioritises protecting the best remaining sites, then building out from these strongholds to reconnect landscapes and create a network of high-quality waterbodies for freshwater plants and animals.
Freshwater Habitats Trust CEO Professor Jeremy Biggs said: “Life in freshwater is under severe threat. These habitats are among the most vulnerable part of the natural world and, despite efforts to clean up pollution, species continue to decline. Most freshwater plants and animals rely on a network of different habitats, yet current regulations – and most conservation efforts – treat rivers, lakes, ponds or wetlands in isolation. The Freshwater Network is a radical new approach, based on rigorous research and conservation experience. By protecting the best places first, then expanding from there, we can create a better future for freshwater, in which rich and diverse freshwaters once again become the norm, not a rare exception. Reversing the decline in freshwater biodiversity within a decade is ambitious, but we firmly believe we can achieve it if people work together to follow the principles set out in the Freshwater Network.”
Posted On: 23/04/2025
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