The UK’s rivers, ponds, lakes, streams and wetlands are in crisis, but a national conservation charity has unveiled a bold new plan to reverse the decline in freshwater wildlife within just 10 years.

Freshwater Habitats Trust has today (23rd April 2025) launched its vision for the Freshwater Network, a science-based strategy to build a cleaner, more connected, network of habitats for wildlife. Now, at a critical time for the future of freshwater, the charity is calling on other organisations to join the effort.

One in four UK freshwater plant and animal species is now classed as rare or threatened and almost all rivers, lakes and small freshwaters are impacted by pollution. According to Freshwater Habitats Trust, adopting the Freshwater Network could double the extent of unpolluted freshwater habitats and achieve an increase in species that are currently rare or declining by 2035.