On 18 July The Rivers Trust and South East Rivers Trust welcomed the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed MP to Chamber Mead Wetlands, a demonstration of how nature-based solutions can be improve river health. The Secretary of State was also joined by Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency, and Defra Water Director Sebastian Catovsky.
The Chamber Mead Wetlands were installed by South East Rivers Trust in the Chamber Mead local nature reserve in order to tackle sewage and road run-off pollution affecting the Hogsmill River, a chalk stream. The wetlands will also support biodiversity in and around the Hogsmill and boost the amenity value of this community space with a bridge and informational signage. During the visit, the Secretary of State heard how and why the wetlands were installed, how partners were engaged and funding secured, and how lessons learned from the project could help to remove barriers and facilitate the wider implementation of nature-based solutions across water catchments.
Mr Reed also joined The Rivers Trust and South East Rivers Trust in collecting an eDNA sample as part of the effort to measure the impact of the new wetlands on aquatic wildlife.
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed: “The Rivers Trust’s excellent work at Chamber Mead Wetlands demonstrates the vital role nature-based solutions play in cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas.
“The new government has immediately introduced new measures to ensure that investment is ringfenced so that it is spent on projects like these, rather than paid in salaries, bonuses and dividends.”
Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of The Rivers Trust: “We are very proud to be able to show the new Secretary of State this project and to discuss ways in which nature-based solutions such as this urban wetland can deliver multiple benefits to society by storing water, purifying pollutants, reducing greenhouse gases, providing space for nature, offering public access and cooling the local air. We need to scale up these solutions, especially to ensure that new developments on housing, planning and transport occur alongside building resilience in our communities to climate change and reversing the steep decline in biodiversity. The Rivers Trust movement stands ready to work in partnership with the government on this aspect of our national renewal.”
Bella Davies, Co-CEO of South East Rivers Trust: “We are delighted to host the Secretary of State at the Chamber Mead wetland today. The wetland tackles sewage and urban road runoff pollution before it enters the Hogsmill River, which is a rare chalk stream, one of around 220 in the world, supporting a unique set of species dependent on the chalk-purified water. We designed the wetland to provide varied benefits, which enabled us to access a mix of public and private funding from many partners. Each partner paid for benefit that most interested them, whether that’s cleaning up sewage, protecting endangered wildlife or improving water quality. Most importantly, the wetland brings a new feature for the local community to relax and enjoy nature. We are glad that the new Government sees the wide benefits of nature-based solutions and we urge them to take action to break down barriers to these kinds of projects and support organisations such as ours to deliver more at scale in the future.”
