Latest News

The Open Rivers Programme is launched today to support dam removal projects and restore thousands of km of rivers across Europe

The Open Rivers Programme is excited to officially launch today, thanks to a €42.5 million grant over six years from Arcadia, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin.

Why? European rivers are the most fragmented in the world which has led to the loss of many species and habitats. One of the biggest causes of river fragmentation is the presence of man-made barriers to river...

Over 3,000 hectares of new woodlands are set to be planted along England’s rivers and watercourses with backing from the country’s leading environmental organisations, Forestry Minister Lord Goldsmith announced today (Saturday 25 September). Planting trees on and around riverbanks, or allowing them to grow naturally, can help to improve water quality by blocking the runoff of pollutants into rivers, manage flood risks by slowing the flow of water, boost biodiversity by creating new habitat corridors and make our rivers more climate...

Affric Highlands initiative to restore nature will involve tree planting, restoring peat bogs and connecting wildlife habitats.

A large swathe of the Scottish Highlands stretching between the west coast and Loch Ness is to be rewilded as part of a 30-year project to restore nature.

The Affric Highlands initiative aims to increase connected habitats and species diversity over an area of 200,000 hectares (500,000 acres), incorporating Kintail mountain range, and glens Cannich, Moriston...

The Project ‘Reconnecting the Salmon Rivers of Wales’ led by Swansea University has been awarded £500,000 for barrier removal from the Nature Networks Fund (Lottery Fund).

This project will help reconnect five iconic Atlantic salmon rivers in Wales and revert the impacts caused by habitat fragmentation. Reconnecting quality habitats for salmon will make salmon populations less isolated and therefore more resilient to future change. It will also benefit many other aquatic species, including the freshwater pearl...

The Shybenyj River flows through the Carpathian Mountains, meandering through dense green forests and steep terrain. A tributary of the Black Cheremosh River, the Shybenyj is a key spawning area for migratory fish such as brook trout and Danube Salmon. The Mjedvjezhiek and Gropynets weirs were built on the Shybenyj River near the turn of the 20th century in order to float timber. The barriers were out of use for approximately 50 years, and stood 12km apart from one another.

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Wooler Water Reconnection Project Receives £500,000 from the Government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund

An innovative environmental project that will remove a major barrier to salmon migration on Northumberland’s Wooler Water and create a new heritage trail, improved habitat and education and recreational programmes that connect people with nature has received a £500,000 grant from the UK Government’s £40 million second round of the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, a multi-million-pound boost for green jobs and nature...

SOUTH WEST LAKES TRUST (SWLT) GEOMORPHOLOGY SURVEY Burrator Geomorphology Survey, Dartmoor September 2021 – November 2021

SWLT are working on a Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) investigation to assess whether the South West Water (SWW) landholding around Burrator Reservoir, Dartmoor is reaching its NERC S41 habitats and species potential. Rivers are a NERC habitat (depending on qualification criteria). A consultant is currently employed to undertake a biodiversity assessment of the rivers, streams and...

Over 100 barriers removed from European rivers in 2020!

The European Biodiversity Strategy released last year aims to restore 25.000...

Climate change, biodiversity loss and degradation of ecosystems are linked and all have devastating consequences for our economic and social stability, health and well-being. Working with nature is increasingly recognised as an efficient way to tackle these growing challenges, according the new EEA report ‘Nature-based solutions in Europe: Policy, knowledge and practice for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.’

The EEA report provides up-to-date information for policymakers on the how to apply nature-based...