The Rivers Trust is an umbrella organisation for its 65 member Rivers Trusts across Britain, Ireland and Northern Ireland. As river and catchment conservation experts, the trust has a wealth of expertise and data at its fingertips and continuously strives to make its vision a reality: healthy, natural, wild rivers that are valued by all.
Major Threats to Rivers
The state of our rivers is of key concern to The Rivers Trust. Some of the main threats facing these waterways include raw sewage that is discharged daily into rivers across the UK and Ireland. Occurring up and down the country, this issue is affecting pristine chalk streams and urban city centre rivers alike. Pollution is also causing major problems, with no river in England or Wales classed as being in good overall health in 2020.
Habitat degradation, too, is negatively impacting rivers in the UK and Ireland, while water scarcity and drought can have catastrophic consequences for river and wildlife ecosystems. While the UK may be known for its rainy weather, it only takes a few sunny days for its vulnerable rivers to dry out.
The State of Our Rivers 2024 Report
The latest report from The Rivers Trust, The State of Our Rivers 2024, features maps, interesting case studies and data, which offer an insight into the health of the UK and Ireland’s rivers. The report found that only 15% of English, 31% of Northern Irish and 50% of Irish river stretches achieve good ecological health standards. Furthermore, not a single stretch of river in England or Northern Ireland was found to be in overall good health.
The Trust’s Work
Much of The River Trust’s work focuses on implementing nature-based solutions at catchment scale. As well as helping to fix rivers, these solutions help build climate resilience for local businesses and communities and include natural flood management, planting trees for water, the creation of wetlands and restoring rivers. The trust also works with businesses to maximise its impact, with its corporate partnership programme ideal for organisations keen to invest in natural recovery, contribute to climate resilience and demonstrate ethical leadership.
The Rivers Trust is included in the Nature and Environment Cause Portfolio of Percent for Good, an organisation founded by Mark Lyttleton to make it easier for professionals to donate to the causes that matter to them.
Enjoying Rivers
The trust envisions a world where we can all enjoy healthy rivers and waterways and provides lots of suggestions on how to partake in water activities safely. These activities include wild swimming, paddle sports and fishing, as well as activities for children such as discovering freshwater species.