Rivers of Life

Hampshire is known for its rivers. The iconic chalk streams that wind their way through much of the county are home to unique wildlife communities and create stunning landscapes. Water voles, kingfishers and banded demoiselles all flit and splash along the banks. Or they should do. There is also a dark side to the rivers in this country, as years of mistreatment and failure to adequately protect them has left not a single one of the rivers, lakes or streams in England as being classed ‘in good health’. After years of abuse, our river ecosystems are dying. But there is still hope for these watery worlds due to the tireless efforts of those campaigning for a better future for our rivers, and those working on the ground to restore and re-link the river channels with their surroundings.

Iconic habitats

Chalk streams are a rare habitat, primarily found in England, with a few locations elsewhere in Western Europe. They are fed from underground chalk aquifers, and it is this filtration that leads to the beautifully clear and pure water that runs in chalk streams and rivers. Some chalk streams are known as winterbournes, meaning some stretches run dry in the hotter months, while others flow year round. Stretches of these rivers in Hampshire are designated as a Special Area for Conservation (SAC) or Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), due to the unique wildlife found there and the rarity of the habitats themselves.

Our streams and rivers are real treasures for nature; salmon and trout use them to spawn, otters make their holts in the banks and water-crowfoot grows beneath the surface. When healthy, these habitats are not only a home for wildlife but are an important factor in flood prevention, climate regulation and water purification.

The perfect storm

However, all is not well with our rivers. A toxic web of issues has degraded these special habitats and is causing the wildlife that depends on them to gradually vanish – 13% of freshwater and wetland species are threatened with extinction.

Take the River Test as an example. Although it is designated as a SSSI, this river cannot cope with the mounting pressures being put upon it. Decades of poor decision-making by planners and failed regulation have led to the main channel being hemmed in on both sides by industrial developments and highways for long stretches. Polluting chemicals, fuel, and waste run off the land into the river, choking the life out of it. Water companies regularly abstract water from chalk streams and the discharge of sewage into them has become routine, adding another level of pollution into the mix. Poor farming techniques upstream further increase nutrient levels as fertilisers and pesticides run off the fields and into the water. As if that was not enough, climate change has led to erratic weather patterns. More droughts mean the groundwater cannot refill and channels are running dry, while an increase in flooding at other times of the year erodes banks and inundates wildlife homes.

On top of this, the regulatory bodies which are there to levy fines and regulate industries that harm our natural world are chronically underfunded, meaning they struggle to hold polluters to account, let alone deliver preventative measures to stop events happening in the first place.

Our rivers, which should be the life support system for our landscape and society are now struggling to cope with the legacy of development and modification of the floodplain. The failure to prevent ongoing pollution from multiple sources is compounding the impact of climate change and intense abstraction of water for drinking supply, industry and agriculture.

Finding solutions

The scale and scope of these problems may seem overwhelming, but we already have the tools and knowledge to bring about desperately needed change. We need the government to commit to robust policies and regulations and appropriate funding to help protect and restore our rivers. We must act quickly - further delay could push rivers over a tipping point beyond which they cannot recover.

One of the biggest challenges will be reconnecting rivers with a wilder, more naturally functioning landscape, allowing them to become resilient to future threats and recover from the wounds of the past. At many of our nature reserves we are doing this, re-joining the wetland nature network to allow floodplains, wet woodlands, and water meadows to rewet, helping to alleviate the problems brought about by fluctuating rainfall patterns. For example, at Winnall Moors and Fishlake Meadows Nature Reserves, we have focused on restoring the entire ecosystem, rather than preserving one or two species. This large-scale, long-term approach can take time to show results, but we are seeing them now on these sites. Certain species, like the rare southern damselfly which needs water meadows and chalk streams, act as a barometer - their presence confirms conservation efforts on the rivers are working.

By creating a nature recovery network of joined-up, functional habitats, with rivers as the thread linking them all, we relieve some of the pressure on our wetlands and their wildlife.

Working with others

When it comes to freshwater habitats, collaborative working is crucial to largescale change. Engaging people with rivers and their wildlife ensures a clear and loud voice, calling for change and better protection of wetland habitats by politicians. The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that are intended to unite multiple organisations in pursuit of a shared goal. The Trust is currently a lead partner in one such project, Watercress and Winterbournes, that focuses on the seven chalk stream headwaters of the Rivers Test and Itchen.

As well as protecting, enhancing, and celebrating these streams, the project also aims to lay the groundwork for continued progress after the project ends. Some initiatives that will be completed within its span include adding fish passes, installing sediment traps, and creating wildlife habitats. Others, like a new hatchery for nationally endangered white-clawed crayfish, will be launched and then continued by partner organisations.

Perhaps most important, however, are the activities centred around the project’s other partners: the people who live, work, and play along the headwaters. These communities have been integral to the project from its earliest days and will be central to its lasting legacy. The hope is that by inspiring these communities to act for their streams, and equipping them to do so, we can enable them to expand on our achievements. With our talks, walks, education programme, and small project grants, everyone has the chance to explore these magical waters.

Some community members are preparing to not only fight for their streams, but lead the charge. Our volunteers are being trained to remove invasive plants, monitor key species, repair built heritage, and manage key habitats. Our community groups are developing long-term plans that identify their local priorities and find ways to address them. These groups are being gradually guided towards independence, so that they can be a driving force for positive action and champion the chalk stream cause with confidence.

It’s important that we look to the future in this way because of what we know, and because of what we don’t. Some issues that currently affect our chalk streams will likely still do so: climate change, for example, or the emergence of historic pollutants from the aquifer. But the fate of these precious places is plagued by uncertainty; what legislation might be passed, what pressures could be added? The healthier and more resilient we can make these streams now, the more likely they are to survive the future’s challenges – whatever they may be.