3.2. Supporting evidence

Generally, respondents felt there would be a continuing decline in freshwater quality, quantity, and biodiversity. While some respondents cited large improvements in water quality and ecology compared to around 50 years ago, mainly obtained through advances in the collection and treatment of wastewater, many described stalled progress or decline in more recent years. The forward trajectory was described by one respondent as a “disappointingly doomed position” and another thought that there was “nothing obvious in the coming decades where we’ll see an appreciable step change”. Some felt more optimistic about the potential for change to policy, for example as part of a wider green recovery, and also felt that increasing public awareness of environmental issues could lead to more sustainable use of water.

"Whilst I’m an optimist, we’re going to have to run quite hard just to stand still."

Dr Stewart Clarke, National Specialist -Freshwater, Catchments & Estuaries, National Trust

3.2. Supporting evidence

The WFD monitoring (Table 1) was the most frequently used source of evidence to inform the views of interviewees on the state and trajectory of freshwaters in the UK, their perceptions therefore very closely matched the evidence. However, other evidence sources were also cited, namely:

• Statutory bodies reporting on protected sites e.g., SACs and SSSIs • Species monitoring e.g., migratory fish • Academic research (e.g., Harper et al. 2020) • Conservation Evidence synopses www.conservationevidence.com • Reports by NGOs e.g., State of Nature Report • Own experience

Concerns were raised by many on the paucity of available evidence, linked for example to the reduction in monitoring frequency and the absence of monitoring of small waterbodies. Concerns were expressed about practices such as using data from previous assessment periods to classify WFD waterbody status, or in protected area assessments. There were mixed responses to how this shortfall in monitoring might be addressed: some, but not all, felt that citizen science and technology could at least partly fill the gap. Many commented on the need for long term datasets to understand the impact of management initiatives, and on how few and how unsupported such datasets were.

Table 1 UK waterbodies classified as good or better overall in Water Framework Directive monitoring.

Nation Most recent WFD % of waterbodies overall classification of good or better Year and data source

England 0% Environment Agency 2020

Northern Ireland 31.3% DAERA 2018

Scotland 65%

Wales

40% SEPA 2019

NRW 2018