28 February 2020
The 2020 Australasia Riverprize by the Bert and Vera Thiess Foundation will be awarded in Brisbane, Australia in September 2020.
Tips from a judge on applying for Riverprize can be viewed here.
Advice from previous winners on applying can be found here.
The first-ever Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions has been developed by IUCN. Last week, the IUCN Council adopted the standard, clearing the way for it to be launched at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in June.
With growing global concern over the biodiversity and climate crises, the importance of nature-based solutions has been widely recognised from the United Nations and national governments to the private sector and civil society.
“Societies face immense challenges including biodiversity loss, food and...
28 February 2020
When major floods occur, like this winter, there is a commonly heard call to “dredge the rivers!” as a solution. Here’s a quick run through why it’s not the solution many want it to be, with reference to a report we published following the winter 2013/14 floods which impacted the Somerset Levels particularly badly, amongst other areas, and led to extensive calls for more dredging as a solution.
Dredging is most commonly used as a method to enable land drainage in...
28 February 2020
In principle, there is a fundamental link between climate change and flooding because, put simply, a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture.
Correspondingly, climate change projections suggest future increases in flood severity are likely for the UK. But are we seeing an impact of climate change in the increased flood trends we have witnessed over recent decades?
Moving from trend detection through to attribution is challenging due to pronounced variability between years and between decades – as can clearly be seen by the...
19 February 2020
Wye & Usk Foundation
Storms Ciara and Dennis have left a trail of destruction across Wales and much of England in the past two weeks.
The Wye and Usk valleys have been particularly badly affected with both rivers reaching record levels, bringing the misery of flood water to hundreds of homes and businesses. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to everyone who has been affected by what the Environment Agency has described as “unchartered territory” in terms of flooding.
High flows are part of the natural...
17 February 2020
We have just released new versions of the River Habitat Survey Toolbox software to help practitioners with habitat assessment for the Water Framework Directive, Planning Applications, River Restoration and more. The software is on a free trial for 30 days and it is available for 32 and 64 bit version of Windows with networking facility.
RHS toolbox data input form
The River Habitat Survey (RHS) Toolbox software was developed to enable RHS surveyors to prepare for RHS surveys, input and analyse data. The...
14 February 2020
Beavers can regenerate landscapes, encourage wildlife and prevent flooding – and they have friends in high places
The must-have accessory for every English country estate was once a gothic folly, a ha-ha or a croquet lawn. Now it is a pair of beavers.
Landowners and large estates are racing to acquire licences to reintroduce the water-loving rodents, which were hunted to extinction in Britain 400 years ago.
Natural England has issued 13 beaver licences since 2017, and beavers are breeding and roaming as wild as...
14 February 2020
By analyzing satellite imagery of rivers worldwide, researchers have pinpointed over 35,000 obstructions like dams and locks that affect an environment’s ecology, hydrology, and water resources management.
Dams and locks dot many of the world’s waterways, effectively fragmenting river systems. Researchers now have conducted a global survey of large rivers and found over 35,000 of these obstructions. This inventory can be used to better understand a landscape’s ecology and hydrology, the research team suggests. That’s important...
Devon Wildlife Trust have released an invitation to tender for the Torridge River Restoration Project.
Are you an environmental contractor with the skills, knowledge and experience necessary to deliver an ambitious river restoration project in North Devon? If so, Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) would like to invite you to tender for a gravel augmentation project which will involve introducing 1750 tonnes of gravel to the River Torridge, as well as carrying out channel reprofiling and bank protection work. The project will also...
Local people in a Yorkshire town are pressing for their river to become the first in the UK to be designated as a bathing area to force the authorities to clean up the water they say is being used as an open sewer.
In the spa town of Ilkley a grassroots campaign has uncovered the regular and routine dumping of untreated sewage by Yorkshire Water – with the approval of the Environment Agency – into the River Wharfe.
In the summer, the river is used by hundreds of children and families, wild swimmers and fishermen, but the...