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Big River Watch App on phone in front of river

It’s The Big River Watch weekend!

This weekend, help us build a picture of river health across the country. It’s good for you, and good for our rivers.

Take part
The river Wye

Wild, healthy, natural rivers, valued by all.

The Rivers Trust are conservation experts with a wealth of data and expertise at our fingertips. We work with our member Trusts to make our shared vision a reality: wild, healthy, natural rivers, valued by all. 

We want all life to thrive in and around our rivers. Whether you enjoy fishing, swimming or a riverside stroll, our rivers need us more than ever to recover and revive. 

With our expertise, reach and our member Trusts’ local knowledge, we work with farmers, government and businesses to provide advice and resources for their communities. 

We bring together the people, knowledge, data and intelligence to help rivers thrive again; for us and future generations.

Make a difference
Child looking at nature
A man testing water quality using sampling kit people planting a wetland

0% good overall health

0%

of all rivers in England and Northern Ireland are classed as 'good overall'.

Natural barriers

99%

of British rivers have artificial barriers obstructing migrating fish

Species decline

83%

decline in freshwater species globally since 1970

1% of the earth

1%

of the earth's surface is made up of freshwater ecosystems, yet they provide habitat for 100,000+ species

Take action.

See what you can do to save rivers and help communities thrive.

Let's go
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Get informed

Volunteers planting wetland vegetation

New wetlands in Wiltshire to recharge nearly 600 million litres of groundwater per year

  • Water Stewardship
  • Nature-Based Solutions
  • Wetlands

The Rivers Trust, Action for the River Kennet and Amazon Web Services collaborate to create two new wetlands across North Wessex Downs Area of Natural Beauty.

Learn more

A CSO with wetwipes clinging to the bars

Raw sewage in our rivers

Sewage is discharged into rivers across the UK and Ireland on a daily basis. This isn’t an isolated problem; it occurs up and down the country, affecting urban city centre rivers and pristine chalk streams alike.

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Children playing with fishing net

Key issues

Explore the major threats that our rivers are facing, get clued up on the latest facts, figures and data available, and source some useful resources that can help rivers thrive.

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Volunteer holding sapling

Take action

Whether you can’t wait to get your hands dirty while cleaning up rivers, or you’d rather support us from the comfort of your own home, there are lots of ways you can support our work to restore rivers.

Learn more