I’m delight to host a guest blog from Rose O’Neill, Water Policy Manager at WWF – the subject is one close to my heart, those quintessentially English chalk streams like the Great Stour in Kent where I grew up on where I saw my first kingfisher. I’m looking forward to reading the report described in this blog – though I already know the ecology of my favourite river is compromised, I voted for the Great Stour as my favourite river in the Our Rivers Campaign back in 2010.
England boasts a secret; it is home to the vast majority of the world’s precious and unique chalk streams. Described as a ‘watery Garden of Eden’ by chalk stream conservationist Charles Rangeley-Wilson, these rivers are characterised by gin-clear water, beds of water crowfoot, starwort and clouds of water-parsnips. They are a haven for wildlife attracting water vole, otters, mayfly, brown trout, salmon and white-clawed crayfish.
Beneath the surface, however, these rivers are in trouble. There are 224 recorded chalk streams in England all varying in size and shape but despite their importance for wildlife and their uniqueness to the UK (they are only found in England and a small pocket of northern France), only a handful are protected. Four chalk streams are protected under the European Habitats Directive as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) – the Itchen and the Avon in Hampshire, the Lambourn in Berkshire and the Wensum in Norfolk. A further eight chalk streams are designated as nationally important Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
Spilt level landscape showing the water crowfoot flowers (Ranunculus fluitans) with the green stems clearly visible in the gin clear water, River Itchen, Hampshire. Photo: Charlotte Sams/WWF-UK
While these crucially important designations have certainly focused the lens of nature conservation authorities and NGOs on these rivers, and arguably helped to stop the decline from new pressures such as housing growth and development, we, at WWF-UK, have produced new research that shows no significant difference between protected chalk streams and the rest. In the State of England’s Chalk Streams published late 2014, we showed that the proportion of SAC, SSSI and all chalk stream water bodies at Good status was remarkably similar, at 23%, 24% and 23% respectively. The report also showed that only 15% chalk stream SSSIs were in a favourable condition, with half classed as unlikely to meet favourable condition unless significant changes to management or external pressures were made. This is a huge cause for concern.
Like the rest of our chalk streams – and many rivers across the country – this failure can be attributed to a lack of effective regulation to tackle over abstraction, agricultural pollution and sewage overflows and policy that does little to drive investment in river restoration (despite clear evidence, such as the Natural Capital Committee’s most recent report that such investment can deliver significant value for money and generate large economic returns).
For our most protected sites, the key issue is not the legislation itself – which is vitally important – but with the timely implementation of the management plans drawn up by the authorities to meet the statutory targets.
The Environment Agency has now confirmed that it will fall short of the statutory target to get all Protected Areas, including watery SACs, to Good status by 2015. It is very concerning that the Agency’s latest consultation on updating the River Basin Management Plans shows that it now intends to delay achievement of the target to 2027. And crucially, the plans do not include any of the new measures – the policies and regulation - urgently required to deliver the target by any timetable.
Over the next year, we, at WWF, will be working with the RSPB and groups such as the Rivers Trusts to try to ensure that this is not the case when the Government finalises these plans at the end of 2015.
In the meantime, there is something everyone can do right now. By taking part in the Save Our Waters campaign and completing a short questionnaire, you can make sure your views on our treasured rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands are heard. You can also share the Save Our Waters infographic.
WWF’s work to protect England’s idyllic chalk streams is an important part of an EU LIFE+ funded project, WaterLIFE, led by WWF-UK in partnership with The Rivers Trust and Westcountry Rivers Trust. WaterLIFE aims to work with communities, business and government for healthy rivers. You can find out more by visiting wwf.org.uk/waterlife.