While watching countryfile I saw an excellent piece on a project to help save the river Kennet (made famous by the book wind in the willows).
ARK (action for river kennet) www.riverkennet.org is active creating river habitats that will help combat low levels of water caused by overextraction. This action includes replanting vital waterplants that were lost when the river last became dry.
An interesting statistic in the program was that worldwide there are only around 200 of these rivers, and after checking this I have discovered that 85% of these are to be found in the UK.
Most of these have been suffering from neglect/misuse and therefore this world treasure, which is pretty much unique to England is in Jeopardy. A very usefull article on chalk streams is to be found at (www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife/habitats/chalk-streams).
Where I come from in England (kent) we are lucky to have examples including the rivers Stour and the Dour. The dour runs through the heart of of Dover and is an oasis of calm in that town, and easy to miss because it is so small.
its crystal waters are alive with aquatic life, and unfortunately debris which gets thrown in , and is periodically cleaned up by volunteers.
I had no idea these rivers are so unique and vulnerable. water extraction particularly is a problem and that problem is likely to get more acute. Kent has often experienced water shortages, but the planned and progressing massive development of the area is a threat.
Worryingly the governments plans for new housing fail to take into account the impact, and the strain on existing limited natural resources.
All to frequently we hear about the destruction being caused in far flung developing countries, while we are blind to the damage we cause at home.
Its time to value and look after the priceless beauty to be found sorrounding our own homes.