The Rivers Trust is the umbrella organisation for over 60 local member trusts across Britain, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. Its overarching goal is to achieve
"wild, healthy, natural rivers, valued by all". As conservation experts, they work with a "grassroots up" approach, combining local knowledge with scientific evidence to restore rivers, reduce pollution, and enhance community engagement with waterways.
Aims of The Rivers Trust
Protection and Restoration: To protect, conserve, and improve rivers, streams, watercourses, and their basins, including adjacent coastal waters.
Sustainable Management: To promote a holistic, ecosystem-based approach to water management at the catchment level (source to sea).
Biodiversity Recovery: To boost biodiversity by removing physical barriers to fish passage, creating habitats, and enhancing degraded environments.
Pollution & Risk Reduction: To tackle pollution (agricultural, industrial, and sewage) and mitigate flood risks using nature-based solutions.
Education & Engagement: To educate the public about water management and encourage community stewardship of local waterways.
Methods of The Rivers Trust
Catchment-Based Approach (CaBA): Working with partners to manage water across a whole catchment area rather than focusing on small, isolated spots.
Nature-Based Solutions (NBS): Implementing Natural Flood Management (NFM) techniques, such as installing leaky dams, planting trees, and re-meandering straightened rivers to reduce flood risk and improve water quality.
Citizen Science & Data Democracy: Using data to drive decisions, including the "Big River Watch" project and a national monitoring cooperative to track river health through citizen science.
Partnership and Collaboration: Working with various stakeholders, including farmers (to improve land management), businesses (via Water Stewardship programmes), water companies, and local government.
Advocacy and Policy Influence: Acting as a bridge between local actions and national policy to tackle systemic issues like sewage pollution and to support the 25-Year Environment Plan.
Support for Local Trusts: Providing technical expertise, funding, and capacity building to member trusts to deliver on-the-ground, local solutions.
Key 2024–25 Impact Metrics:
472 hectares of wetlands created or restored.
175 km of river opened up for fish passage.
1,483 Natural Flood Management (NFM) measures installed.
496 river clean-ups carried out.