Did you see the series Paul Whitehouse, Our Troubled Rivers on BBC2?

Well, the 14^th March 2023 is the International Day of Action for Rivers is dedicated to solidarity – communities around the world unite with one voice to say that rivers matter.

Having access to clean and flowing water matters.  Everyone should have a say in decisions affecting their water and lives. 

We need to stand up for rivers and protect them. We need to be a voice for rivers. Many species of wildlife need them for habitats.  But freshwater species have seen an 83% decline since 1970 so please, defend, protect and restore rivers.  We need them, and so do wildlife.

River charities in the UK include the Canal and River Trust, who have lots of ways you can get involved, the Rivers Trust, and Freshwater Habitats Trust.

This is a great chance on the 14th March to find out what they all do and whether there is any way in which you can help. 

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Watch out for….. Wild Isles

Did you know that we have 85% of the world's chalk streams in Britain?  Or over 50% of the world's common bluebells?

On Sunday 12^th March 2023 at 7pm, the great Sir David Attenborough started a wonderful new series and he narrates a very special programme about the incredible wildlife we have in the UK and you can find out more about the natural history in Britain and Ireland.  We’ll see everything from butterflies and kingfishers to sea eagles, puffins and killer whales.  The latest technology enables Sir David and the crew to show us a wild side of the British Isles.  Over three years, the crew filmed in 145 places.

Don’t miss it!  There are five episodes and there are three must-see moments here.  Watch for the time of day it's shown - on the 19th March, the programme is on at 7pm. 

The series has been produced by the RSPB, WWF and the Open University.  A number of Wildlife Trusts locations feature in it. 

After the introductory programme, the series features Woodland, Grassland, Freshwater and Ocean.  It has behaviour that was previously unseen from a staggering 96 species.  

The programme’s website is here.  It has a trailer you can watch in advance of the series, and you can also delve behind the scenes here.

Despite the UK’s wildlife, Britain is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and one of the questions Sir David will be asking is how we can restore our wild isles for future generations.

There’s a list of UK Conservation charities here (by no means does it list all of them!) and species specific charities here.

If you want to make a start in helping wildlife, one of the things you could do is to visit the Wildlife Trusts.  There are 46 Wildlife Trusts around the UK, from Alderney in the Channel Islands right up to Scotland, from north west Wales to Norfolk, and they have lots of ways in which you can get involved and help wildlife to make a difference.   Find your local Wildlife Trust here.

Whatever it is that you do, please do something.   Our wildlife need us to get up and take action. Britain is the worst country in the G7 for wildlife and wild spaces that have been lost because of human activity.  So we need to work hard to put this right, as Paul Whitehouse's Our Troubled Rivers....shows on BBC2 on Sunday 12 March at 8pm.
 

11 Ways to help British wildlife

Tonight on BBC2, there’s a short series starting called Paul Whitehouse – Our Troubled Rivers.

The first programme is on Sunday 5 March 2023 at 8pm, and Paul Whitehouse looks at the state of British rivers, and the change in the water industry since it was privatised back in 1989.  He looks at the regulations there are for sewage discharge into rivers.

From the Lake District where there’s been an ecological decline in the stunning Lake Windermere, to the River Wharf where locals are concerned about the health of the river, we see Paul Whitehouse reveal how water companies have neglected their responsibilities to the environment.

And he meets people fighting back, such as Feargal Sharkey (former Undertones frontman) who is becoming a champion for cleaner rivers.

There are two episodes to watch.  In the second episode, Paul Whitehouse is in the south of England and Wales, visiting the River Wye and Hampshire. 

In Hampshire there’s damage being caused to the very rare chalk streams – and in Whitstable, there are problems for the oyster industry due to regular sewage discharges.

Finally, in London, perhaps the Thames Tideway super sewer is a beacon of hope? 

Ways to help

Now, if you want to help our canals and rivers, you could look at the Canal and River Trust and or the Rivers Trust;  there are lots of opportunities to volunteer, or you could donate.

The Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust have their Archers Green Appeal, raising funds to purchase a 20 acre site near Welwyn Garden City.  It has rare habitats, including chalk streams.  You can find out more and donate here.

If you love grizzly bears, take a look at US based Vital Ground Foundation, who are based in Montana.  

Their mission is “to protect and restore North America’s grizzly bear populations for future generations by conserving wildlife habitat and by supporting programmes which reduce the conflicts between bears and humans”. 

They have a vision of a permanently connected landscape which ensures the long-term survival of those gorgeous grizzly bears and the species in the range.  You can find out more about Vital Ground and their current porjects here  

They have some great news for us all!

Supporters enabled Vital Ground and landowners Greg and Lisa Levine to complete a new habitat protection project for grizzly bears and many other wildlife species in northwestern Montana!

Image © Vital Ground
Find out about grizzly bears here

The Grave Creek Project near the town of Eureka has helped conserve a key habitat corridor.  Sponsors may have participated in the Sponsor an Acre campaign, or given monthly, or made a year-end gift in 2022, but whichever action they took, they all contributed to this win for wildlife.  Wetlands, forests and meadows will be protected for species such as the grizzly, Canada lynx, native trout.  Find out more about the project here. 

Ways to support Vital Ground include making a monthly donation, making a one-off donation, sponsoring an acre, and buying something from their online shop.    And don't forget to check out Vital News, their official newsletter.

Visit The Vital Ground Foundation here.

Animal Survival International have an urgent appeal at the moment, which is just absolutely heart-breaking.

It’s about drought in Kenya.

The heat is so terrible and relentless that the animals have no choice but to risk their lives to quench their thirst.  They walk for many days and weeks in search of water – and the tragedy is that may die before they find it.

Animal Survival International want to act fast and do what they can to provide these animals with the water they so urgently and desperately need. 

 
These animals urgently need water and they need our help
Image © Animal Survival International

Elephants, giraffe, wildebeest and Grevy’s zebra are dying beside water holes that have simply dried up.  In some parts of Kenya, there is no water to be found.

The carcasses of dead animals litter the landscapes.  The drought is getting worse and scientists fear that the land may never been the same again, say Animal Survival International.

Animal Survival International are focusing their efforts on Turkana County, the most northern in Kenya and the largest, and one of the counties the worst.

Please help Animal Survival International help wildlife 
affected by the drought in Kenya
Image © Animal Survival International

The plan is to install boreholes to provide a sustainable water supply to the region’s wildlife.  Animal Survival International have delivered water to meet the most urgent needs of these animals but they know that longer-term solutions are needed.

A borehole is costly to create – it costs about $50,000 or £41,500 per borehole.  But it is essential – or more animals will die.  The rains are well overdue, but there is no sign of them.

Please find out more and donate here, and spread the word if you can.