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Rights for Rivers Survey

Rights of the River Derwent

In Derbyshire, rivers support a host of species above and below the waterline. From the fast flowing streams in the Dark Peak in the north to the meandering Trent in the south, rivers are central to our landscape and cultural identity. They powered the industrial revolution and remain central to communities today, whose recreational use spans fishing to raft races and wild swimming.

Health of our Rivers
Since the 1970s, there have been some improvements in rivers as a result of restoration schemes. However, most in Derbyshire are still not in a good condition due to pollution, the spread of invasive species and man-made changes to watercourses. Top of the Poops ranked the River Derwent as the fifth most polluted across England and Wales in 2021, and the situation hasn’t improved much.  In 2022, the same organisation ranked Derbyshire Dales as the 22nd most polluted constituency in all of England and Wales, in the top 5%. 
Only 14% of England’s rivers are in good ecological condition, so it’s clear that our current regimes are not improving rivers at the pace required to address the biodiversity crisis.
Please can you take 5 minutes to tell us your thoughts.
We need your support, thank you.
1.Do you believe that rivers in Derbyshire are healthy and pollution free?
2.Why are Derbyshire’s rivers important to you?
3.Do you think that current legislation does enough to protect our rivers from pollution?
4.If no, do you agree that people and nature are interconnected and interdependent, and that this should be recognised in our legal system?
5.Revitalising our Rivers- the right to flow
Unfortunately, our society views nature as something to control and exploit for economic gain, as opposed to something that underpins our way of life and prosperity. Unless we change this attitude, then the destruction of wildlife on our waterways will continue.

The Rights of Nature concept has been gathering momentum as a way to reframe our relationship with the natural world, and secure a greater level of environmental protection. Giving nature the same level of legal representation as people might sound like a radical idea, but this isn’t the first time that rights have been granted to non-human entities. They were previously extended to benefit corporations so if companies can have legal rights, then the same rights could be extended to nature.  

Do you agree that the river Derwent should hold, at a minimum, the following fundamental rights (Select as many as you like)
6.What’s your vision for healthy river system in Derbyshire?
7.Would you like to sign up to our wild weekly e-news letter for all the latest updates from Derbyshire Wildlife Trust? If so please enter your email address below  - (Your information will never be shared with third parties)