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About this tool(Opens in a new window)

The Rivers Trust The Rivers Trust logo
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 1. Home/
 2. Key issues/
 3. Habitat loss


HABITAT LOSS

We dream of a future where rivers thrive with life

Despite covering less than 1% of the earth’s surface, freshwater ecosystems
provide habitat for more than 100,000 known wildlife species — but many are
struggling to cope in the face of habitat degradation.

Explore
 * Key issues
   * State of Our Rivers
   * Raw sewage in our rivers
   * Chemical pollution in our rivers
   * Climate change
   * Habitat loss
   * Drought and water scarcity
   * Pollution
   * Flooding
   * Data & evidence
   * How to report sewage pollution

 * Key issues
   * State of Our Rivers
   * Raw sewage in our rivers
   * Chemical pollution in our rivers
   * Climate change
   * Habitat loss
   * Drought and water scarcity
   * Pollution
   * Flooding
   * Data & evidence
   * How to report sewage pollution

When they’re healthy, rivers are home to incredible levels of
biodiversity—housing some of the UK and Irelands most iconic species. Otters,
kingfishers, Atlantic salmon, and more recently beavers, all rely on healthy
rivers for their survival.

Sadly, since 1970, freshwater species have seen an 83% decline globally. That’s
faster than any other type of habitat! The reasons for this are complex, but are
generally due to the loss or degradation of natural habitats. Some of the main
causes include:


 * Weirs, dams and other man-made barriers which disrupt fish and other species
   from moving freely through the river. In some cases, this can prevent fish
   from spawning
 * Invasive non-native species taking over the river, outcompeting native
   species
 * Water pollution from sewage, agriculture and industry. Sediment pollution and
   chemical pollution are both an issue
 * Loss of wetland habitats and sections of river
 * Over-abstraction, resulting in rivers which don’t have enough water to
   sustain their populations

Major events, like periods of drought, can have immediate and devastating
consequences—but even minor events can have significant impacts on wildlife,
when considered cumulatively and over longer periods of time.

Our local Trusts carry out lots of different activities to address habitat
degradation, ranging from removing entire weirs to planting new vegetation. They
also monitor their local rivers to find out which species live there. Creating
baselines like this is really important for helping us to identify events which
have impacted the river population—whether that’s in a positive or negative way.
It can also help us to identify pressures on the ecosystem, enabling us to
address them before they get out of hand.


WHAT ARE RIVERS TRUSTS DOING TO HELP WILDLIFE?


FISH PASSAGE

1,329

kilometres of river were opened up for fish passage by local Rivers Trusts in
2022-23


BARRIER REMOVAL

105

barriers to fish passage were removed by local Rivers Trusts in 2022-23


WETLANDS

619

hectares of wetlands were created or restored by local Rivers Trusts in 2022-23

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WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE ICONIC SPECIES WHICH CALL RIVERS HOME?


NATURE LOVERS

Despite covering less than 1% of the Earth’s surface, freshwater ecosystems
provide habitat for more than 100,000 known species! Our guide talks about some
of the fantastic species you might spot at your local river.

Learn more

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Help us to revive rivers to their former glory and strengthen their resilience
for people and nature.

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