The wait is over! We’re delighted to announce the 2019 Finalists of the Thiess International Riverprize. The finalists have all demonstrated remarkable achievements and success in their river restoration work.
Chicago River, USA
To support vital research being carried out into climate change, Mendeley has created the Climate Change Library - a collection of over 5,000 articles published across 412 Elsevier journals in 2018 and 2019.
Insect life has rebounded in a river receiving all of Swindon's wastewater thanks to substantial investments to improve sewage treatment, according to a DEFRA-funded study.
The River Ray in Wiltshire, which lies downstream of Swindon’s major sewage plant, is largely formed of treated wastewater and had seen steep declines in wildlife populations from the 1960s onwards.
Get involved in this European Citizen Science research project, and help by sampling water quality in the Thames Valley.
Have a look at this footage from the Bannisdale River Restoration Project in South Cumbria.
A specialist natural enemy of Himalayan balsam is being introduced as part of a trial to kill off the invasive plant that has spread throughout south Wales.
Invasive species cost the UK economy £1.8bn every year, according to government figures. Experts believe the UK is home to around 2,000 non-native species, with about 10-15% of these deemed invasive – a plant or animal that does not have a natural predator to keep its numbers in check.
Targets for 75% of rivers to be healthy by 2027 are "very unlikely" to be met in England, a charity has warned.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) says rivers are "used as open sewers".
The Environment Agency predicts 75% of rivers in England and along the Scottish and Welsh borders will meet EU expectations by 2027, compared with just 14% now.
It is planning an autumn consultation on "challenges and choices" faced in cleaning up water.
The agency said it would review the target based on "what can realistically be achieved".
The International Fario Club, with assistance from Salmon & Trout Conservation, have this year launched the Prix Charles Ritz award for England and Wales, to honour projects here helping to preserve our rivers for future generations.
Recognising environmental initiatives on the rivers we cherish
Thousands of fish have died in an important salmon spawning headwater as a result of anaerobic digestate entering in the River Mole in north Devon, according to the Environment Agency (EA), which said it was the region's "largest ever fish kill".
The agency said yesterday that it had completed its initial assessment into the incident and identified the source and pollutant but that it was continuing to investigate.
As the climate changes and global temperatures continue to rise, the wildfire season in the United States grows longer. These wildfires are burning hotter, consuming more acres of land, and leaving paths of destruction unlike ever before. Often started by something as small as a spark, wildfires can consume and destroy miles of landscape as well as shift the balance of vital ecosystems. As wildfires continue to grow more and more destructive, we are forced to plan and strategize methods to prevent and contain them.
How does a wildfire start?