Rivers, streams and other fresh water pools and lakes are crucial to sustain life on our beautiful planet. Many of our rivers are not in the best of health, struggling with pollution and loss of natural features. Shropshire Wildlife Trust's Rivers Team works for river and catchment recovery throughout the county.
Our vision is to see our wild waters flourish, in both urban and rural areas. This will benefit both wildlife and people and provide us with:
A clean and plentiful water supply
Protection against flood and drought
Places to play, relax and enjoy
Waterways that can adapt to the pressures that the future will bring
Good quality habitats for wildlife
River health training at Carding Mill Valley
The work of the Rivers Team
Most of Shropshire’s rain flows to join the Severn, the UK’s longest river at 220 miles from source to sea. For this reason it is important that we all work together so we can have a coordinated approach to helping to protect and restore our water environments.
All of our projects are designed to take a Catchment Based Approach. A catchment is a term used to describe an area defined naturally by where the surface water collects and flows through the landscape. Rain falls everywhere and with the aid of gravity, when it can, it becomes a trickle, then a stream and joining with others, flows to become a river.
Malcolm Brown
Wildlife and habitats
Shropshire is criss-crossed with ribbons of beautiful rivers, brooks and streams, dotted with ponds, and boasts an incredible and unique wetland network in the north of the county, made up of meres and lowland peat bogs, with the Shropshire Union Canal winding through this landscape. These habitats are home to an array of wildlife such as fish, kingfishers, otters, dragonflies, demoiselles, sand martins and dippers.
Rivers Team along the Reabrook
What can you do?
In a world of nature and climate crisis it can be difficult to work out how to help our blue network thrive. No matter what size your local watercourse is, it needs your protection!
Find out more about our Rivers Team by following them on social media
Spotted a pollution incident? Call the pollution hotline on: 0800 807060