Blue Frontiers is an ambitious river restoration programme delivering large-scale improvements to rivers and floodplains across the Severn catchment. Building on the success of Severn Rivers Trust’s pioneering restoration work, the project is restoring natural river processes to create healthier rivers, more abundant floodplain habitats, and more resilient landscapes.
Working in partnership with the Environment Agency and private landowners, Blue Frontiers will deliver major restoration schemes that reconnect rivers with their floodplains, create new wetlands and improve habitats for some of the UK’s most threatened wildlife. The project goes beyond habitat creation by securing ten-year management agreements with landowners, ensuring these restored landscapes are protected, managed and able to deliver lasting benefits for wildlife and people long into the future.
The project at a glance
| Location | River Severn catchment |
| Lead organisation | Severn Rivers Trust |
| Partners | Elgol Fund for Nature, Environment Agency and several private landowners |
| Habitats restored | 30+ hectares of wetland, floodplain meadow and native woodland |
| River habitat improved | Approximately 2 km |
| Priority species | Atlantic salmon, European eel, curlew, lapwing and water vole |
| Long-term legacy | 10-year habitat management agreements with participating landowners |
More than three-quarters of UK rivers are in poor ecological condition. Historic river modification, pollution and changing land use have left many rivers disconnected from their natural floodplains, reducing biodiversity and increasing flood risk.
Blue Frontiers is helping reverse these declines by restoring natural river function, improving water quality and creating space for wildlife and people to benefit from healthier freshwater environments. It is also helping to stretch the ambition of river restoration, in terms of scale and pace of delivery.
Project impact
Blue Frontiers will deliver lasting ecological benefits across the Severn catchment, including:
- Reconnecting rivers with their natural floodplains.
- Creating and restoring more than 30 hectares of wetland, floodplain meadow and native woodland habitat.
- Restoring around 2 kilometres of river habitat through natural river restoration techniques.
- Improving habitat for priority species including Atlantic salmon, European eel, curlew, lapwing and water vole.
- Supporting long-term monitoring through citizen science volunteers and academic partnerships.
- Ensuring habitat establishment & long-term stewardship through multi-year agreements with participating landowners.
All photos courtesy of the Severn Rivers Trust
