The Cumbrian River Restoration partnership programme, headed up by the Environment Agency and Natural England has involved several partners around the county including our RSPB team of expert conservationists and volunteers at Haweswater and was announced as the winner at a Gala Dinner of the 25th International River Symposium on 29 November 2022.
The European Riverprize has been awarded due to our combined efforts across Cumbria to reinstate natural river processes that benefit both people and wildlife, helping to reduce flooding risks and seeing wildlife return to the rivers.
Why was this project needed?
The rivers of the Lake District have been impacted by changing patterns of farming and land management over many centuries. All the watercourses within Cumbria have at some point been modified or altered to create space for farming practices. This has exacerbated the effects of several severe flood events in recent years, with the area also suffering degradation of designated protected areas and a severe decline in biodiversity.
What did we do?
The Cumbria River Restoration partnerships programme has carried out more than 100 separate projects including reintroducing meanders, removing weirs and planting trees, of which our project in Swindale Valley was one.
Almost 100km of river length and 150 hectares of floodplain have been restored across the catchments of the Rivers Eden, Derwent and Kent. The work has also reduced flood risk, improved drinking water quality, removed plastic from rivers and boosted biodiversity in the region.
This practical work was accompanied by engagement, training and educational initiatives including community events, volunteer days, internal and external training, conference and workshop presentations.
The partnership work to restore rivers in Cumbria is a great example of how positive environmental improvements can be delivered within a farmed landscape. Finding ways to ensure these upland habitats perform once again for water quality, wildlife and people is at the centre of everything we do. The projects have been a team effort and we are honoured to have won this award.
About the European Riverprize
The prestigious European Riverprize celebrates excellence in the management, conservation and development of Europe’s rivers, wetlands and surrounding communities.
Congratulations to the other two finalists, who were an inspirational campaign to save one of Europe’s last wild rivers, the Vjosa in Albania, and an incredible project covering the Mura, Drava and Danube Rivers in central Europe.
Who’s involved?
Partners on the project include the Environment Agency, Natural England, us at the RSPB, National Trust, Ullswater CIC, United Utilities, Eden Rivers Trust, West Cumbria Rivers Trust and South Cumbria Rivers Trust, with expertise from Dynamic Rivers, Ebsford, GB Openspace and Professor Neil Entwistle from Salford University.
Thank you
It’s fantastic to see the work of the Cumbria River Restoration programme being recognised at an international level. River restoration work can provide a wide range of benefits, creating better natural habitats for wildlife and reducing flood risk through innovative nature-based solutions. In an ever-changing climate it’s work like this that will help to improve our environment for generations to come.
We would like to thank all partners, stakeholders, local communities and private landowners involved in bringing this programme to fruition. And of course our RSPB members.
Check out this fantastic video of all the hard work around Cumbria to restore rivers here: https://bit.ly/EuroRiverPrize