Wild rivers

In light of the movement to save the River Wye from dramatic biodiversity decline due to high levels of water pollution, Wild Rivers put together a small team to paddle 135 km from Glasbury to Monmouth in our hand-built canoes. Our mission was to promote awareness of the health of the river, and collect data for the community-led conservation group Ffrindiau’r Afon Gwy (Friends of the River Wye). En route we collected data and information on erosion, areas of pollution, and locations and status of water crowfoot (Ranunculus aquatilis), an ecologically important species which oxygenates water, provides refuge for juvenile fish, and is known to be a water quality indicator. Expecting a polluted river devoid of wildlife, we were pleasantly surprised by the sheer beauty of the watershed and the wildlife sightings we had! What really surprised us was the high percentage of tree cover along the Wye with beautiful stretches of thick willow and alder along the banks. Despite high pollution,the River Wye remains a biodiversity hotspot. During our paddle we saw a number of species including kingfishers, bank swallows, brown trout and a possible sighting of a leaping salmon! Regular sightings of buzzards screeching through the air as well as a couple of breeding pairs of ospreys show that there are apex avian predators still using the rivers' food source. A few other notable observations en route were the high numbers of willow ermine moth caterpillars, cocooned in a silken webs that covered many of the willow trees. Why such an abundance has occurred locally in the last few years is yet to be understood, though theories point at climate change or a lack of predators. Another peculiar sighting was a Red Eared slider terrapin, an invasive species from North America and most likely a pet illegally released into the River. We also regularly saw the UK’s rarest mayfly, the yellow mayfly (Potamanthus luteus), similar to the common mayfly seen along waterways but bright yellow, a species which is thought to now only occur in the Rivers Wye and Teme. Despite the Wye still holding a diversity of native wildlife, the level of pollution now apparent due to high levels of agriculture runoff (mainly chicken farms) has caused the rapid decline in many key species: water crowfoot has declined by 95% in the last 5 years, salmon populations by 94%, and both yellow mayfly and freshwater pearl mussels are now nearing extinction. In many sections we saw evidence of the high levels of nutrient runoff in the form of large algal blooms. Additionally, two outflows smelling of soupy bleach bubbled into the river near Hereford from near the industrial estate, a devastating sight to witness into such a beautiful watershed. There is hope to be had, for at the brink of ecological collapse, the UK’s largest legal environmental pollution claim has been filed at the High Court. In 2025, almost 4,000 people signed the lawsuit in support of the River Wye, citing damage caused by run-off from major poultry producers. With increasing public support, this could become the turning point in the Wye’s health, marking the transition between ecological decline and recovery for people and nature to cherish.