Richard Benyon MP (Defra Minister for the Natural Environment & Fisheries) was a guest speaker at a Parliamentary meeting [1] on water policy on Tuesday, 31st January, which was organised by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust. The meeting was attended by a significant number of all-party MPs, who heard the latest from the Government on how it plans to protect our precious but dwindling rivers and water supplies. Experts from the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) [2] and the Salmon and Trout Association (S&TA) [3] highlighted the pressing problems facing our aquatic habitats.
The main threats to our rivers and wetland habitats identified by the GWCT include:
- Rivers drying up because of over-abstraction for industry, agriculture and to meet our domestic demands for water
- Continuing pollution from inappropriate land management practice, poorly treated sewage and urban run-off
- Damage to fish migration through river systems from the proposed expansion of renewable energy using hydropower.
The Government’s recent Water White Paper highlights some of the issues, but the big question remains: Will this once in a generation opportunity be taken to set our rivers, wildlife and water on the right course?
In response to the presentations made by the GWCT and the Salmon & Trout Association, Richard Benyon MP, said, “We set out two approaches in the Water White Paper to tackle abstraction, we need reform of the licensing system in the medium to long term, but in the short term we need to take action to prevent damage happening now.
“I am convinced that the best vehicle for improving the condition of our rivers lies in working with local groups, such as land and riparian owners, Rivers Trusts, farmers, and angling and nature groups, to stimulate the actions needed to reduce pollution and improve water quality.”
GWCT Director of Policy, Dr Alastair Leake, said: “There is more pressure than ever before on our rivers and aquatic wildlife from agriculture. From the loss of productive soil from fields to the levels of pollution in our rivers, it matters to ensure farming is part of the solution not part of the problem. We are leading research in this area of policy [4] and we call on the Government to use our knowledge to inform its policy decisions [5]. We need to bring all sections of the community with us to ensure success [6].”
S&TA CEO, Paul Knight, added: “With river water, quantity matters as well as quality: these two things are closely linked. We need to plan far better how water is abstracted from rivers if we are to ensure a future for our fish and other river wildlife.”
Dr Leake concluded: “Policy on generating electricity from river flow [7] should include a strong commitment to avoid significant damage to river habitat and the long term security of migrating fish populations wherever possible.”
Together with the S&TA, the GWCT is putting the case for a co-ordinated approach to water policy, backed up by scientific evidence, which ensures a healthy future for our water supplies, rivers and the wildlife which depends upon them.
Richard Benyon MP, Minister for the Natural Environment and Fisheries, (LEFT) and Ian Coghill, Chairman of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, at the GWCT’s All Party lunchtime discussion on the Water White Paper at the House of Commons.
NOTES
[1] The All Party Parliamentary Game and Wildlife Conservation Group is a new All Party Group set up in 2010 to provide a forum for MPs and peers to discuss the relationship between farming, game management and conservation. The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, which acts as secretariat to the group, has held joint meetings with the CLA and the RSPB. The meeting on 31st January is being held with the Salmon & Trout Association.
[2] The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust is an independent wildlife conservation charity, originally established in the 1930s, which carries out scientific research into Britain’s game and wildlife. We advise farmers and landowners on improving wildlife habitats and we lobby for agricultural and conservation policies based on science. We employ 14 post-doctoral scientists and 50 other research staff with expertise in areas such as birds, insects, mammals, farming, fish and statistics. We undertake our own research as well as projects funded by contract and grant-aid from Government and private bodies. The Trust is also responsible for a number of Government Biodiversity Action Plan species and is lead partner for grey partridge and joint lead partner for brown hare and black grouse. For information, contact: Morag Walker – Head of Media, Telephone – 01425-652381 (direct 01425-651000) Mobile – 07736-124097 www.gwct.org.uk
[3] The Salmon & Trout Association (S&TA) was established in 1903 to address the damage done to our rivers by the polluting effects of the Industrial Revolution. For 108 years, the Association has worked to protect fisheries, fish stocks and the wider aquatic environment on behalf of game angling and fisheries. In 2008 it was granted charitable status. S&TA’s charitable objectives empower it to address all issues affecting fish and the aquatic environment, supported by strong scientific evidence, and to take a wide remit in protecting salmonid fish stocks, and the aquatic environment upon which they depend.
[4] A decade of research at the GWCT demonstration farm at Loddington has shown that many simple measures can produce dramatic reductions in soil erosion, but that diffuse sources are much more difficult to contain.
[5] Catchment based approaches where landowners produce a co-ordinated response to benefit the main water body are very effective, but need good facilitators to engage with multiple partners. GWCT is actively engaged in coordinating efforts among previous FWAG employees and resurgent FWAG groups.
[6] Engaging the community and involving them in the social and historical culture of the local catchment surrounding the GWCT demonstration farm in Leicestershire has proved highly successful, resulting in the publication of a unique book on the Eye Brook catchment, Exploring a Productive Landscape.
[7] GWCT has long experience of monitoring river ecology. We are in a unique position to undertake future research on the effects of hydropower installations on salmon spawning and migration using the instrumentation in our river laboratory at East Stoke on the River Frome in Dorset.
