Freshwater rewilding

Introduction

Freshwater systems underpin life on land. They provide clean drinking water and habitat for fish and other aquatic species, store huge amounts of carbon and offer places for recreation.

Despite their critical importance, many of Europe's freshwater ecosystems have been heavily degraded by human activities, such as drainage for agriculture, dam construction, channelisation, and industrialisation.

These activities have disrupted natural processes, damaged habitats, negatively impacted biodiversity and impaired the way ecosystems function. This has undermined many of the benefits these systems deliver to people and nature.

In this module you will learn about why freshwater systems need rewilding and the benefits this delivers, as well as some of the various approaches to rewilding rivers, wetlands and peatlands.