Join us and thousands of other passionate people in London on 3 November to March for Clean Water.
On Sunday 3 November, thousands of passionate people will come together in London to March for Clean Water. We’ll be there too, standing up and speaking out for our polluted and degraded waterways which are in real trouble. The only way that will change is with immediate action.
Clean water is vital. We need it, our wildlife needs it. But at the moment our rivers, streams and seas are polluted. You can’t not notice, the problem is everywhere, from our towns and cities to our countryside and coast.
The high levels of pollution in our rivers, streams, lakes and seas are having an impact on us and our wildlife. For us it’s stopping us swimming in our rivers and lakes, preventing trips to the local beach or cancelling sporting events such as rowing on the Thames. For our wildlife, iconic UK species such as Kingfishers, Otters and the mighty Atlantic Salmon are being affected and, in some places, whole ecosystems are dying.
So many of our RSPB nature reserves are found around our rivers, lochs, islands, reedbeds and estuaries because these are some of the richest places for wildlife in the UK. Combined they’re a place of enjoyment and relaxation for millions of people each year. But if the waters which flow through our reserves are polluted, these protected places and the wildlife which lives there suffer. This can’t go on. We must stop polluting our waterways.
The March for Clean Water is an opportunity to turn our anger, our frustration, our disbelief into action and show our new UK Government that this must be a priority. We’ll be there with a shoal of other organisations such as the WWF, National Trust and The Wildlife Trusts as well as passionate groups dedicated to this issue such as River Action and Surfers Against Sewage. The march’s aim is to ‘flood the streets of London’ with people all dressed in blue to show how much we care about our waterways and to stress how vital it is for the UK Government to act quickly and boldly.
The reason why our waters are so polluted is complex and there’s no easy fix. But we can turn this around if we take action in the following ways.
Investment in nature-friendly ways of farming – More than three quarters of the pollution found in our waterways comes from agriculture. Manmade fertilizers and organic fertilizers, in the form of animal slurry, are spread on our fields. But if too much is used or the weather conditions aren’t right, they make their way into our rivers and streams, with the excessive nutrients devastating wildlife habitats. If UK Government invest in nature-friendly farming it would mean more farmers could take part in schemes which pay farmers to apply less fertiliser, stock livestock at the right levels, create buffer zones around waterways and reduce soil erosion, all of which have potential to improve water quality. We also need the right legal protections in place for our waterways. You can sign a petition calling on the UK Government to invest more in nature-friendly farming by clicking on the link below.
CTA: Sign the petition
Stop sewage pollution – Many headlines around UK water pollution focus on human sewage being discharged directly into our water courses. The UK Government’s new ‘Water Bill’ takes steps to tackle this, but we need to see urgent action. We’ll continue to keep a close eye on the Bill as it moves forward, and where we can, lobby for amendments to make it stronger and benefit nature.
Make space for nature-based solutions
To clean up our waterways in the long term, we need to think big – on a landscape scale. Wetland creation and restoration, river buffers, rewetting peatlands and creating new woodlands in the right places can all prevent pollutants reaching watercourses and create great places for nature to thrive. This means working with landowners, including water companies, to find solutions. The RSPB have been doing this with United Utilities in the Lake District, restoring landscapes which benefit us and wildlife at RSPB Haweswater.
We’d love to see you march alongside us on Sunday 3 November. We’ve put the basic details below but look out for more information on how to join us among the river of blue.
The details:
Where is it? London
When is it? Sunday 3rd November
Who is organising it? River Action UK
Who else is taking part? Many charities and organisations big and small, including National Trust, the Wildlife Trusts, WWF, Soil Association, Nature Friendly Farmers Network, Froglife, Surfers Against Sewage and Greenpeace. See the full list here.
Where can I find out more? https://marchforcleanwater.org/
