Globally, freshwater covers about 0.8% of land. In the UK, that number is 3%.
Freshwater ecosystems in the UK are internationally important. Of the world’s 210 chalk streams, 170 are in England. The UK’s freshwater network is made up of 200,000km of streams and rivers, plus thousands of ponds, lakes and ditches, forming a cross cross of habitats that support a diverse array of wildlife from dragonflies to water voles.
Our freshwater systems should be one of the jewels of our landscape but no rivers in England, Wales or Northern Ireland are considered to be in high ecological health. In Scotland, 92% of rivers do not meet high ecological health.
FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS PROVIDE VITAL HABITAT FOR RICH, COMMUNITIES OF WILDLIFE.
They are also are hotspots for human activities that have led to widespread pollution, habitat degradation, over-exploitation and alien species introductions.
The last few years has seen a much needed spotlight shone on sewage and plastic pollution in freshwater systems. The circumstances and legislation around pollution from our agricultural system are murkier and much less talked about. UK Youth for Nature is changing that.
In 2022 a cross-party government commission reported on the state of our rivers, and revealed that a ‘chemical cocktail of sewage, agricultural waste and plastic is polluting the waters of many of the country’s rivers’.
Agricultural waste such as farm slurry, fertiliser run off and the impact of harsh toxic chemicals is putting enormous pressure on our freshwater environments. Agricultural pollution from rural areas affects 40% of water bodies in England, but we know that creating more space for nature, repairing freshwater barriers and reducing the use and toxicity of pesticides in these landscapes can have a huge impact for biodiversity and the public alike.
With news from the Environment Agency that our target date for cleaning up England’s waterways will be moved from 2027 to 2063, UK Youth for Nature are calling on government to act now for our freshwater ecosystems, for nature and for our future.
How can you help?
This year we're focusing our attention on Wales. Why? Because our interactions with Members of the Senedd give us hope that we can make tangible chang for Welsh freshwater and marine environments.
So, we need your help to spread the word about what we're doing.
Sign our open letter to the Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies, or share it on your social media so that we can create a quilt with all the names of those people who have signed in Wales and present it to him on the steps of the Senedd in 2025.
What we've done so far!
2023 - Chemical Cocktail bar in Westminster with Wildlife and Countryside Link
2023 - River Walk in Tetbury
2024 - Wales focused Senedd event: A Voice for Our RIvers in Cardiff, Wales
2024 - Farm weekend: visit to Patrick Holden's organic dairy farm in Aberystwyth (CEO of Sustainable Farm Trust)
2025 - PFAS Forever Chemicals parliamentary reception with CHEM Trust and Marine Conservation Society
2025 - COMING UP: Senedd (Wales) quilt hand in to Deputy First Minister for Wales, Huw Irranca-Davies
2025 - COMING UP: Youth Roundtable in Wales
Check out the zine we made for MPs for our recent parliamentary reception in April 2025