Wetlands under threat

Wetlands are naturally evolving features of the landscape, but their important habitats and characteristics are being lost at an alarming rate due to climate change. There are many other threats to the survival of our wetland heritage, too, including pollution, habitat loss and invasive species. Find out how we are tackling these threats and how you can help.

Rivers and wetlands are a vital part of our environment, providing us with natural resources and ecosystem services. Over the past couple of decades, water quality has improved, and pollutants have been reduced. Yet, they still face a host of threats, causing severe declines in our habitats and wildlife – less than a fifth of England’s rivers are judged healthy (a Good Ecological Status under the Water Framework Directive) and a third of the water we take from rivers is wasted. This affects the ability of our rivers and wetlands to provide us with the things we need.

The Chilterns Conservation Board (CCB) works with partners, stakeholders and the public across the Chilterns National Landscape to help our rivers and wetlands. We are not just managing the threats they face, but restoring the landscape, so that it is both resilient to change and can continue to provide us with the benefits we enjoy. To guide us, we have a Management Plan, which sets out the vision, policies and actions for the management of the Chilterns National Landscape from 2019 to 2024. It describes how best to conserve, enhance and enjoy the Chilterns, helping all those with a responsibility for the landscape to care for it for current and future generations.

Looking after the Chilterns

The CCB protects the landscape, history and wildlife of the Chilterns National Landscape, monitors planning and development across the area, promotes sustainability, and engages with local communities. Find out how we do this and how you can get involved, too, by visiting our What we do pages.

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Major threats to the rivers and wetlands of the Chilterns

Climate Change

We are in a climate emergency. Global warming – where the global average temperature rises – is happening at a scary rate, and experts agree that an increase of nearly 3-4oC could be possible by 2100. The biggest culprit of this change is the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, emitted into the atmosphere through human activity like burning fossil fuels and cutting down trees.

Climate change not only affects our wildlife and habitats (our natural capital), but also affects many of our ecosystem services (the benefits we get from natural capital). Thus, it impacts every aspect of society, from disaster risk to food security, economy to health and well-being. In the Chilterns, it will have a major, but unpredictable, influence on the natural beauty and natural capital of the landscape; for example, shifts in the timing of seasonal events, will change how plants and animals live and thrive in our rivers and wetlands.

Initiatives that are carbon-friendly can sometimes have a negative impact on other aspects of wildlife and habitats. For instance, tree-planting in the wrong place, such as on floodplains, can inadvertently cause damage to these fragile ecosystems. Ecosystems that can provide a buffer against some of the effects of climate change, such as increased flooding, extreme weather and soil erosion.

  • Monitor and understand the impacts on key species and habitats as a result of climate change. This will help farmers and other land managers to make good decisions regarding future management.
  • Create well-connected networks of habitats that allow species to move through the landscape in response to the changing climate and shifting local ecology.
  • Protect and restore our rivers and wetlands, recognising their importance for both wildlife and climate change mitigation.
  • Capture and store carbon through tree cover, working with landowners and other agencies to support tree planting that follows the golden rule: the right tree in the right place.
  • Promote and encourage local food products to help reduce carbon emissions from the transportation of goods.
  • Promote the Chilterns National Landscape as a sustainable alternative for short and long visits – an outstanding landscape, accessible by public transport and on the doorstep of millions in the South East.
  • Reduce your carbon footprint. There are lots of ways to reduce your carbon emissions in your day-to-day life, such as travelling by public transport, bike or foot to work or recreation; heating your house only when needed; and buying locally produced or carbon-low products. Find more ways to reduce your carbon footprint.
  • Visit your local nature spots to reduce travel; enjoy a staycation in the Chilterns! Find out where to go using our interactive map.
  • Plant a tree. Either in your garden or as part of a scheme or project.
  • Manage your land for wildlife. If you are a farmer or landowner, the way you manage your land will determine whether it is resilient to climate change.
  • Encourage your employer or local business to reduce their carbon footprint. Find out more
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Chalk streams and drought: ITV Meridian News Report

Watch Professor Kate Heppell, Research Lead for the Chilterns Chalk Streams Project, talking about the effect of droughts on chalk streams wildlife, following the drought of summer 2022. The footage is filmed at Ewelme Brook and Watercress Beds and there is some fantastic historic footage of watercress production.

Pollution

Our rivers and wetlands are under threat from the fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides used for farming, as well as from wastewater and sewage. These pollutants run-off agricultural land or are released directly into our rivers and streams, affecting water quality and killing or damaging wildlife and habitats. Where fertilisers are intensively used on or near wet grasslands, they promote the growth of vigorous grasses at the expense of other herbs.

The Chilterns National Landscape is home to nine precious chalk streams. But these crystal-clear waters are faring no better than other rivers – across the UK, more than three-quarters do not meet Good Ecological Status. Our chalk aquifers show levels of phosphate and nitrates that pose a significant risk to our drinking water.

Urban diffuse water pollution is another problem for our rivers and wetlands, where run-off from roads, poor drainage, polluted sediments and industrial waste damage rivers, streams and pond habitats. As water travels through the water cycle, moving through the land, so larger conurbations outside the National Landscape boundary can still affect the water quality and wetland habitats within it.

  • Work to improve water quality within our rivers and chalks streams.
  • Promote and encourage environmentally sensitive farming methods.
  • Work with water companies and industry to ensure little or no wastewater or untreated sewage is entering or rivers and streams.
  • Work with planners and developers to decrease the amount of traffic on the roads, particularly over short distances, and include green space within developments.
  • Promote the Chilterns National Landscape as a sustainable alternative for short and long visits – an outstanding landscape, accessible by public transport and on the doorstep of millions in the South East.
  • Create well-connected networks of habitats that allow species to move through the landscape in response to changing conditions.
  • Reduce your pollution. There are lots of ways to reduce your emissions and pollutants in your day-to-day life, such as travelling by public transport, bike or foot, and buying locally produced, sustainably farmed products.
  • Reduce your waste and be mindful of where it goes. Recycle where you can and follow the countryside code when out and about, being careful not to litter and pick up after your dog.
  • Visit your local nature spots to reduce travel; enjoy a staycation in the Chilterns! Find out where to go using our interactive map.
  • Manage your land for wildlife. If you are a farmer or landowner, the way you manage your land will determine how polluting it is.
  • Encourage your employer or local business to reduce their pollution and waste. Find out more

Habitat loss

Development, transport infrastructure and changes in land use fragment habitats. For rivers and wetlands, this can mean that our waterways are heavily modified, and ancient meadows, wet woodlands, fens and floodplains are lost, damaged or reduced. Wildlife habitats need to be big enough and well connected for wildlife to thrive. Species need corridors to move through the landscape in response to a changing environment.

A recent report highlighted that England’s wildlife sites are generally too small and too isolated, leading to a devastating loss of some of our most loved or iconic species. To combat this, we need better and more resilient ecological networks for plants and animals; we need more, bigger, better and joined habitats.

Taking too much groundwater and surface water is another major issue for our wet habitats. Our chalk streams (and their aquifers) are suffering, in particular, as the demand for water increases, whether for homes, farms or industry. This over-abstraction causes chalk streams to change levels or dry up, making them unable to support the wildlife they normally could.

Our waterways have been heavily modified over the years: there are few places that have not suffered from some form of canalisation, dredging, piling, physical barriers or course change. The floodplains that they feed into have also been modified, developed or turned into agricultural land, leaving nowhere for floodwaters to go. Such modifications have allowed us to make use of wetland resources, but have changed natural habitats to such a degree that once-common wildlife is now scarce and habitats have decreased resilience to climate change and other pressures.

  • Continue to protect, restore and enhance the rivers and wetlands of the Chilterns.
  • Work with planners and developers to look after important wildlife spaces, create habitat networks, and include green space within developments.
  • Promote and encourage environmentally sensitive farming methods.
  • Create well-connected networks of habitats that allow species to move through the landscape in response to changing conditions.
  • Promote the use of gardens as part of a wider ecological network – connecting wild spaces between towns by encouraging people to garden with wildlife in mind.
  • Promote water-saving options for everyone from the public to industry and farming.
  • Save water! Be mindful of how much water use and try to cut down: install dual-flush toilets, take showers instead of baths, turn off sprinklers and collect rainwater for the garden, put full loads of washing on, and fix those dripping taps! More Water saving tips.
  • Garden with wildlife in mind.
  • Support local nature by visiting your local nature spots or enjoying a staycation in the Chilterns. Find out where to go using our interactive map.
  • Support the Chilterns Conservation Board, local conservation charities by donating, fundraising or volunteering your time. Find out more
  • Manage your land for wildlife. If you are a farmer or landowner, the way you manage your land can help to create wildlife networks.
  • Encourage your employer or local business to create space for nature. Find out more

Innappropriate Management

Healthy wetlands help to store carbon, provide clean water and stem the flow of water into our homes, villages and towns. In turn, they support a whole variety of plants and animals that we can enjoy and use. Yet, over many years, there has been a decline in traditional land management, such as grazing, coppicing, and harvesting reeds and sedge, in favour of more intensive management, such as river modifications and drainage. Coupled with development, this has led to the loss of many of our river and wetland habitats. Over the last century, we’ve lost 90% of our wetland habitats in the UK, and 10% of our freshwater and wetland species are now threatened with extinction.

River and wetland management is important to create the conditions in which the specialist wildlife that lives there can thrive. Actively managing these places to create a network of wet habitats and restore our floodplains helps to ensure resilience to climate change, pests and disease.

  • Encourage landowners and managers to use traditional methods of management on their rivers and wetlands, including grazing, scrub clearance and reed-cutting.
  • Create well-connected networks of habitats that allow species to move through the landscape in response to changing conditions.
  • Promote the use of local goods like food (meat, dairy, honey, wheat, etc.), wood for fuel, and hay, silage and manure.
  • Support local wetlands by visiting your local nature spots or enjoying a staycation in the Chilterns. Find out where to go using our interactive map.
  • Volunteer to help manage local wetlands. Find out how 
  • Buy locally produced food or woodfuel and support local craftspeople. Find out more
  • Manage your land for wildlife. If you are a farmer or landowner, the way you manage your land can help to restore our rivers and wetlands and create wildlife networks.
  • Encourage your employer or local business to [plant trees, lay hedges or manage grasslands] on their land. Find out more 

Invasive Species and Diseases

There are plants and animals in our countryside that have either been introduced from other countries, or spread from one area to another. Sometimes these species don’t cause too much trouble, but at other times, they can have terrible impacts on native wildlife. Examples include non-native American mink and floating pennywort, but there are many more.

Within our wetlands and on our rivers, invasive species can cause devastation if not kept under control or eradicated. Examples include Himalayan balsam, which escapes from gardens and takes over ditches, riverbanks and wet habitats, and Japanese knotweed, which forms dense stands on riverbanks and railways cuttings, crowding out native wildflowers. Non-native American mink are now established in the wild and are voracious predators of our native and threatened water voles, and topmouth gudgeon (stone moroko), introduced from Asia, eat the eggs and larvae of our native freshwater fish, as well as competing for food.

Diseases are also a problem for our native wildlife. For instance, Phytophtora diseases are soil diseases that affect trees and shrubs; non-native North American signal crayfish have devasted our native white-clawed crayfish populations through the introduction of a disease that is fatal to them; and non-native American bullfrogs also carry disease that is a fatal to our native amphibians.

  • Encourage the active management of rivers and wetlands across the Chilterns National Landscape to prevent invasive species and diseases spreading.
  • Help land managers and owners with pest and disease control, promoting sustainable and eco-friendly methods.
  • Inform the public and those visiting our countryside about diseases and how to stop their spread, for instance, cleaning shoes.
  • Promote wildlife-friendly gardening, using native species and being careful about discarding garden waste to avoid plants escaping into the wild.
  • Create well-connected networks of habitats that are resilient to change and allow species to move through the landscape.
  • Be careful how you tread! Some diseases can be spread via soil and contact, so wash your boots between site visits.
  • Be careful how you garden! Use native planting schemes where possible and try not to introduce non-native plants into the surrounding area, for example by discarding cuttings.
  • Support local wetlands by visiting your local nature spots or enjoying a staycation in the Chilterns. Find out where to go using our interactive map.
  • Volunteer to help manage local rivers and wetlands. Find out how
  • Manage your land for wildlife. If you are a farmer or landowner, the way you manage your land can help to restore our native wildflowers and animals and create wildlife networks.
  • Encourage your employer or local business use native plants on their land. Find out more
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Chiltern Chalk Streams Project

The Chilterns’ chalk streams are so threatened that a special partnership uniting all the organisations with an interest in conserving them was formed, and celebrates its 25th year in 2022. The Chilterns Chalk Streams project works with local people to improve river habitats, enhance access and enjoyment, and promote the sustainable use of water.

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About us

Find out all about the Chilterns Conservation Board, our staff and our publications.
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Plan your trip to the Chilterns!

Search the interactive map: select from a list of categories to bring up icons showing the location and information of walks, bike rides, places to visit, tasty local products and plenty more across the Chilterns.
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Featured walks

A selection of some of the best walks in the Chilterns, from short easy strolls to all day walks, and all through beautiful scenery. The best way to shake off the cobwebs, enjoy tranquil surroundings and burn a few calories!
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Follow the Countryside Code

Help us to protect the Chilterns National Landscape when you’re out and about by following the Countryside Code and the rules for the site you are visiting. Please respect others around you and those who care for and work in this special landscape.
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