The Great Ouse Rivers Trust is an environmental charity dedicated to restoring and protecting the Great Ouse and its tributaries, lakes and wetlands for the benefit of people and nature.
We are proud to be a part of the Rivers Trust movement, with over 65 local river trusts across the UK and Ireland that are at the forefront of the campaign for healthy rivers and sustainable catchment management.
Like most UK rivers, the Great Ouse currently suffers from past environmental impacts and new threats from escalating development and climate change, such as:
● Pollution, including nutrient run-off from agriculture, effluent from water treatment works, and plastic waste.
● Water scarcity and low flows caused by the water-demand pressures of development and agriculture.
● Loss of wildlife habitats through the modification of rivers and their floodplains for drainage, development and flood defence.
We want to work with communities, landowners, businesses and environmental organisations to achieve our vision for the Great Ouse:
A natural and healthy river enjoyed and valued by all.
Our mission has two core elements:
● Connecting people with their river – inspiring and educating people to understand and value rivers, to enjoy them as natural and historic places for access and recreation, and to take action on their behalf.
● Recovering nature – supporting projects that restore natural ecosystem processes within the catchment – on land as well as in rivers – to improve wildlife habitats, reduce flood risk and provide cleaner water.