River Restoration

River Restoration 

These pages will give you an introduction to river restoration and an overview of the different practices commonly associated with the river restoration concept. We are showcasing the work that is being carried out in the UK including the progress towards restoring designated rivers, the map of UK restoraiton projects, the EU RiverWiki, river restoration initiatives and the UK River Prize.

Why Restore

Rivers are being restored for many different reasons. Here we discuss some of the most common practices and drivers of river restoration and how to build in multiple benefits to a restoration scheme. Read more

UK River Prize & the Nigel Holmes Trophy

The UK River Prize celebrates best practice in river restoration. Read more

UK Projects Map & EU RiverWiki

The UK Projects Map and the RiverWiki work together to provide a comprehensive dataset of river restoration projects in the UK and Europe. Both the UK Projects Map and the RiverWiki complement each other whilst also catering for different needs and requirements.

The UK Projects Map and its dataset (the National River Restoration Inventory (NRRI)) provides a complete record of all river restoration related projects (no matter how small or at what stage) carried out in the UK. Use this tool to identify what restoration has been carried out near you that could be useful to see, or use the filters to look nationally at specific groupings or project types. It allows us to determine trends and priorities for past and future years to build into discussions and new initiatives. It is your opportunity to invite others to know what you are doing or have planned. For more information on the projects you have found, their relevance and how best to apply this information, you will need to contact us.
The RiverWiki contains a smaller subset of UK based projects but can hold and display a wider range of information (some with comprehensive detail, reports, image libraries, etc). It also includes wider European projects for when UK examples cannot provide you with what you are looking for, or you want to compare what you are doing with a wider array of political and implementation approaches. Our anticipation is that the RiverWiki will be populated with projects from around the world. The aim is that by 2020 the RiverWiki is self-populating though the large number of registered users and acts as a 'community' platform to 'announce' your project to a far larger audience than you could usually achieve.

Initiatives

River restoration is closely linked with many other activities and sectors of managing the environment, such as farming, climate change and flood management. Here you will find information on the latest major initiatives associated with river restoration. Read more

Designated Rivers

Here you can find information on the progress of restoring England’s designated rivers and how what is being planned, implemented and learned on these catchments can apply to the wider river network. Read more

Demonstration Projects

This page provides information on a selection of innovative projects which have contributed to understanding and progress of river restoration in the UK and beyond. Read more

National River Restoration Inventory

The NRRI database holds over 4,000 projects associated with river restoration. Project details include location and cost information. Read more