Comprehensive monitoring and stronger incentives for farmers among key expert recommendations to restore England's polluted rivers

England’s rivers, and the life they support, are in a desperate state. The Rivers Trust annual State of Our Rivers report found that a mere 15% of rivers in England were classed as being in good ecological health and no single waterway was classed as being in good overall health.

The Environment Act (2021) sets out much-needed targets for both water quality and biodiversity, but the road to achieving these goals is complex. To help plot a course to better water health, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs asked the British Ecological Society to bring together nearly 40 experts, to collate expert opinion on freshwater policy.

The workshop resulted in the Delivering Biodiversity: priority actions for fresh water report which sets out how Environment Act targets deliver for biodiversity in freshwater and what priority actions should be taken to achieve them by 2030.

“From shocking footage of sewage spills to in-depth reports, the dire state of England’s freshwaters has never been more visible to us." Said Hazel Norman , CEO of the British Ecological Society. “The BES’s new report arms Defra with the ecological expertise needed to understand the pressures on our freshwater environments and sets out clear priority actions to turn the tide of biodiversity loss.”

Dr Emma Jardine, Biodiversity Pressures Lead Scientist, Defra, said: “The BES’s report is helping us to build our understanding of the pressures on freshwater biodiversity and the actions that will be most impactful for target delivery.”

Dr Emma Ransome from the Department of Life Sciences at 英国帝国理工学院 and lead author of the report, added: “Tackling a nationally important issue like fresh water health requires close collaboration between the research and policy community, so it’s been fantastic to see these groups come together."

Priority actions?

The report identifies priority actions for restoring freshwater biodiversity which include a more comprehensive approach monitoring; reducing pollution from agriculture, wastewater, and other sources; enhancing freshwater habitat connectivity; and an update to aquatic biodiversity indicators.?

Widespread and comprehensive monitoring?

Sustained investment in monitoring the state of biodiversity in our fresh waters, and the threats it faces, is essential. Without an uplift in monitoring, it will be impossible to know if Defra’s biodiversity targets are achieved, to accurately trace sources of pollution, or to fully understand the factors that impact the biological status of our fresh waters.

Dr Steve Thackeray , Group Leader and lake ecologist at UKCEH and lead author of the report, said:?“Our precious freshwater ecosystems are home to a huge diversity of species and are always changing. They are very sensitive to pressures like pollution and climate change, so it is essential to invest in monitoring these habitats to gather robust evidence of change. Only then can we detect deterioration and track any improvements that arise through our actions”?

Incentivising farmers to reduce agricultural pollution?

As Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency, pointed out at the NFU Conference, the uncomfortable evidence is that the agricultural sector is responsible for 40% of England’s river pollution, even more than water companies at 36%.

With 70% of England’s land farmed, a priority is to reduce the flow of agricultural pollution into our waterways. To do this, farmers should be better incentivised to take up regenerative agriculture practices, such as those which reduce the use of fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides as well as farming back from rivers, fencing off watercourses to keep livestock out, and planting riparian woodlands.?

Better regulation of sewage??

Better monitoring and regulation of wastewater treatment works, along with improvements to infrastructure are essential to reducing sewage overflows. Priorities include targeting failing sewage plants, particularly those in headwaters to help improve biodiversity along the entire length of a river, and preventing combined sewage overflow dry spills (spills not caused by heavy rain).?

Increased waterway connectivity?

Making our rivers and floodplains more connected will improve the functioning and resilience of these ecosystems. Connectivity can be increased through removal of barriers such as weirs and restoring smaller water bodies like ponds, canals and wetlands which are often overlooked in monitoring and protection.?

Updating aquatic biodiversity indicators?

Freshwater invertebrates (such as insects and crustaceans) are currently used as the primary indicators of freshwater ecological quality. But the report argues that there is no single ‘best’ indicator of change in the water environment and several indicators are required to accurately monitor progress towards Defra’s biodiversity targets.?

The report

Download the report to learn more about the priority actions for halting biodiversity decline in England's fresh water.