Government plans will fail our threatened rivers, campaigners warn
Charlie Butt; RSPB, Rose Timlett; WWF-UK, Huw Irranca-Davies; Minister for Marine and Natural Environment, Ralph Underhill; RSPB, Mark Lloyd, Angling Trust; Archie Ruggles-Brise, Association of Rivers Trust: c/o Stonehouse photographic
River action campaigners meet with environment minister Huw Irranca-Davies by the Thames today ahead of the publication of controversial plans for the UK’s waterways.
Earlier this year a report revealed that three quarters of rivers in England and Wales are failing European targets on environmental quality. But in the majority of cases the Environment Agency’s official plans – due to be published next month - fail to set out action to tackle the problems such as pollution from fertilisers and over abstraction, which threaten river wildlife.
The Our Rivers Campaign was set up by the RSPB, WWF UK, the Angling Trust and the Association of Rivers Trusts to help encourage people who know and care about their local river to fill the gaps in understanding.
In an attempt to persuade him to make last minute changes to the plans, campaigners will meet with Mr Irranca-Davies by the bank of the Thames today to hand over a map of all the rivers adopted by supporters, river action groups and MPs during the campaign.
“The problems are plain to see – pollution killing fish and causing algae and weed to choke our water ways, river beds drying up, invasive species like signal crayfish destroying riverbank ecosystems and more besides,” said RSPB conservation director Mark Avery.
“These plans are supposed to provide a blueprint for bringing the standard of our rivers up to an acceptable level, but there is so much vital information missing it’s difficult to have confidence in them. The whole publication is like a crossword with most of the clues missing – and unless changes are made now we will never get the solutions that our ailing rivers so desperately need.”
Mark Lloyd, chief executive of the Angling Trust said “The Water Framework Directive presented the Environment Agency with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform our rivers and the way that they we manage water, and the land around it.
But the draft plans are lacking in ambition, they fail to capture the knowledge of anglers and others who have an intimate knowledge of their rivers and much of the information in them is simply incorrect. These new plans don’t even offer a vision of what we would like to achieve, let alone how we might achieve it. If Government fails to make significant changes before the plans are published, they will have blown it. Anglers are dismayed
Arlin Rickard, director of the Association of Rivers Trusts, said: “Our members were asked to feed into these plans with positive proposals for how to deal with the many environmental problems our rivers are struggling against.
“But despite our extensive knowledge of local rivers gained through many years of dedicated conservation work along their banks, many of our suggestions have failed to appear in the final plans which are limited in their vision. We are doing all we can to help the Government meet its 2015 water target but currently there is a lack of clarity as to how the work on the ground will be funded or delivered.”
Local rivers representatives Bella Davies from the Wandle Trust (left) and Charlotte Hitchmough from Action for the River Kennet (right) with Huw Irranca-Davies
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Notes to editors:
1. The Government is set to publish River Basin Management Plans for the 11 river basin districts of England and Wales as part of the new European Water Framework Directive. These plans will set out how the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) deals with pollution, abstraction and other issues affecting rivers and wetlands but currently only propose a disappointing improvement in status of just 5% of waters.
2. A recent Environment Agency assessment revealed that just five rivers in England and Wales remain in ‘High’ status condition – all in remote areas of Northumberland and Wales. The report lists 26 per cent of rivers as ‘Good’ status. This means 74% of rivers are failing – including 117 rivers (2%) which are classified as ‘Bad’ making them among the worst in Europe. The European Water Framework Directive requires the UK to bring all of its rivers up to ‘Good’ status or above by 2015. Current draft plans mean the UK will fail to reach this target.
3. Since the Our Rivers campaign launched at the end of April, 217 regional river action groups and more than a thousand individuals have adopted local rivers and have been providing information on the pressures they face. The campaign has also been backed by seven MPs who are concerned about the state of the water courses in their constituency. For more information visit the campaign website - www.ourrivers.org.uk
Feedback from supporters of the Our Rivers campaign during its first six months indicate that the three biggest threats to rivers in England and Wales are chemical and sediment pollution from agriculture, over abstraction by water companies, and run-off water from urban areas.
Call for action after new report reveals worrying state of UK rivers
Just five of the 6,000 rivers in England and Wales remain in pristine condition, according to new figures published today (Tuesday September 22).
The Environment Agency assessment reveals that just five rivers remain ‘High’ status waterways – all in remote areas of Northumberland and Wales. The report lists 26 per cent of rivers as ‘Good’ status, the required European standard. This means 74% of rivers are failing – including 117 rivers (2%) which are classified as ‘Bad’ making them among the worst in Europe. Amongst these are the Stour estuary and a stretch of the river Trent.
The Our Rivers campaign – backed by a coalition of the RSPB, WWF UK, the Association of Rivers Trusts and the Angling Trust – has reacted to the report by calling for tougher action to protect waterways and ensure they remain clean and healthy for the benefit of wildlife.
“There is no doubt that the millions of pounds invested by the water industry over the past two decades has brought real improvements to our rivers and coasts,” said RSPB director of conservation Mark Avery.
“But these alarming figures really show just how far we have to go to tackle the problems faced by our rivers. There are just five rivers in pristine condition left and they are all in some of the least densely populated corners of the country.
“Elsewhere we are having a devastating impact on our waterways. Pollution from agriculture, over abstraction and poor town planning are all factors threatening what is an extremely important habitat for wildlife. Otters, water voles, kingfishers and more than 30 species of fish all rely on our rivers and we have a responsibility to keep them healthy and clean.
“This report should serve as a wake up call for the Government to do more to protect rivers. We will be examining the Environment Agency’s proposals for action being released today and challenging Government to ensure the final plans have a far reaching effect on the problems affecting our rivers, lakes and coasts.”
Tom Le Quesne, WWF freshwater policy advisor, said: “Unless we take action now to stop the decline in the health of our rivers then we are storing up a raft of problems for the future. We are heavily reliant on this precious resource and our legislation and actions must deliver a positive improvement to its state.”
The release of these figures coincides with the Environment Agency setting out its plan for how it will care for rivers in England and Wales over the next decade – and achieve the new European Water Framework Directive which requires the UK to bring all of its rivers up to ‘Good’ status or above by 2015.
While the plans list hundreds of actions, many of which reflect long-standing commitments to improve the environment, disappointingly only 5% more rivers will be at ‘Good’ status by 2015. Environment minister Hilary Benn now has three months to decide whether this is really ambitious enough.
The report on the environmental status of rivers is the result of a huge amount of work by Environment Agency staff. It is the first time factors such as fish and plant life have been taken into account giving the fullest ever indication of the ecological state of UK waterways.
Other recent news, in reverse chronological order:
New figures reveal biggest threats to rivers in England and Wales
WWF releases 'Rivers on the Edge' video about plight of England's chalk rivers
Our Rivers team meets local MP to campaign for our local river
Funding available for lowland river restoration and wetland creation in Wessex area
Our Rivers team report on meeting Alistair Burt MP at Paliament on Tues 9 Nov
