The South Downs National Park is making a renewed call to action to improve the health of our rivers, streams and seas as a major new report is published today.
The “Water In The Park” report is the first of its kind for the National Park and shines a stark spotlight on the state of waterways across the South Downs region.
The key finding is that most bodies of water are failing to meet good ecological standards, with an overall decline from 2014 to 2022. The study covers six river catchment partnerships across a vast swathe of Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey, revealing that 90 per cent of rivers and lakes are not achieving good status (under the Water Framework Directive).
Meanwhile, 75 per cent of estuaries and coastal waters are not meeting good ecological status – which is a benchmark for a healthy ecosystem that can support a balanced range of plants and animals. Some 55 per cent of groundwaters are also not achieving good status.
The National Park Authority is now calling on partners, landowners, businesses, local councils and communities to come together to find long-term solutions that will help improve water quality and management, kickstarting nature recovery and bringing benefits to all.
The call to action comes as the National Park Authority is finalising its Partnership Management Plan (PMP) – which lays out priorities for the National Park for the next five years – and further strengthening its commitment to water.
Siôn McGeever, Chief Executive of the National Park Authority, said: “Water is fundamental to the biodiversity, landscape, and wellbeing of communities in and around the South Downs National Park.
“We also know that improving the water environment is really important to people as they’ve told us in our recent consultation for the Partnership Management Plan”.