Trust welcomes landmark river restoration analysis

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has welcomed new research which sets out the economic benefits of restoring rivers and wetlands.

A new vision for rivers in England, released by The Wildlife Trusts, Trent Rivers Trust and Intact Insurance, uses the River Trent as a blueprint for reimagining England’s rivers at scale

The Rivers 2040 Vision maps and assesses how restoring the entirety of the River Trent – England’s longest river flowing from source to sea through Derbyshire and six other counties – could unlock significant economic, environmental and societal benefits.

The analysis reveals that every £1 invested in river restoration at scale could generate more than £7 in benefits.

Across England, rivers are in dire health, with just 14% currently meeting ecological health standards.

In Derbyshire, nature-based solutions are already demonstrating what healthier rivers could look like across the Trent catchment and beyond.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and partners restored a 400-metre section of the River Ecclesbourne, bypassing a man-made weir and reopening more than 28km of river and tributaries to fish migration.

The project has helped create the conditions for Atlantic salmon to return to parts of the Ecclesbourne after more than 100 years.

At Willington Wetlands, the reintroduction of Eurasian beavers in 2021 has transformed the landscape by creating ponds, channels and wetter habitats, benefiting a wide range of wildlife and helping pave the way for white storks to return to nest in the Midlands after an absence of more than 600 years.

By slowing the flow of water and helping to retain it in the landscape, beaver activity can also increase resilience to drought, demonstrating the wider benefits that nature-based solutions can provide.

The trust is also working with farmers and landowners to restore rivers and reduce flood risk across the Trent catchment.

Rachel Bennett, director of wilder landscapes and wilder communities at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, said: “Our river and wetland restoration work in Derbyshire at projects like Willington Wetlands and the River Ecclesbourne have shown what is possible when nature is placed at the heart of plans to restore waterways.

“We are excited to be part of Rivers 2040, to build on this kind of successful nature recovery work and see how nature-based solutions can be scaled up to create healthier, more connected rivers and landscapes.”