Modified, polluted, and unable to keep pace with our changing climate, our damaged rivers need space to recover. Get behind the campaign, add your name to the petition, and help us Make #SpaceForWater.

Join The Rivers Trust, National Trust, Woodland Trust, and Beaver Trust in calling for the UK Government to support farmers and landowners with funding to restore nature-rich river corridors. Farmers and landowners are on the frontline of climate and water challenges, and they urgently need more support. Sign the petition today.

We need change

Our heavily modified rivers aren't fit for purpose, and can't keep up with our changing climate. The UK faces a growing water scarcity crisis, and our rivers and landscape need to be restored to store more water and better recharge groundwaters. We have some of the unhealthiest rivers in Europe - only a third of the UK's river stretches are in good ecologial health. Biodiversity in the UK is declining and these spaces should be nature's highways, but instead are left in persistently poor condition as a result of the disconnect between activity on land and the impact on water.

Nature-rich river corridors can:

🦋 Restore nature with connected corridors that support wildlife

💧 Protect communities from flooding and drought

🌳 Improve water quality and clean up rivers

🌡️ Boost climate resilience and support farmers

Sign the petition

Add your name today. Help us reach 10,000 signatures so that the Government is obliged to respond to our asks.

Together, we can be the voice our rivers need, drive connected nature-rich river corridors up the political agenda, and create more opportunities for farmers to get fairly paid to manage water on their land for nature and climate resilience.

Add your name

How do we Make Space for Water?

When we roll back urban or agricultural activities from the riverbanks, there are many ways to make space for water and give rivers room to recover and restore natural processes. Allowing space around rivers will unlock the ability to deliver a wider range of spatially targeted, proven, cost-effective nature-based interventions that benefit both people and wildlife. We need our river corridors to be enhanced and restored with:

River buffers
Riparian trees and woodlands
Wetlands
Floodplain meadows
River wiggling and naturalisation
Beaver populations

Making Space for Water is a campaign from the Riverscapes Partnership - a coalition of The Rivers Trust, National Trust, The Woodland Trust and Beaver Trust.