The Charter for the River Wye sets out a series of shared principles reflecting the importance of the River Wye and its tributaries.
Background to the Charter
A cross-border working group of community representatives, environmental organisations, councillors and others, many of whom are members of the Wye Catchment Partnership and the Nutrient Management Board, were instrumental in the development of the Charter.
There has been wide support for the Charter from Welsh and English county and district councils, alongside endorsement from the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park and Wye Valley National Landscape. This is the first time in the UK that there has been such widespread support for a charter of this kind.
The Rights of the River Wye
The Charter identifies fundamental requirements that enable the river system to function and continue to deliver the essential services that communities depend on. While these Rights of the River Wye have no legal standing, they intend to guide the long-term protection and recovery of the river and its catchment.
The Rights are:
The right to flow and perform natural functions
To maintain its natural course and seasonal rhythms without obstructions or extractions that detrimentally affect the ecological function of any part of the river system.
The right to biodiversity
To achieve good biological health through the existence of balanced, diverse and viable populations of native species and habitats specific to the Wye and its tributaries.
The right to be free from pollution
To exist in a state of ecological health and not be subject to detrimental levels of known and emerging pollutants that adversely affect the life of the river.
The right to be supported by a healthy catchment
To flow through environments which support the river as a balanced, sustainable and resilient aquatic ecosystem.
The right to regenerate
To recover ecological function through natural processes, supported where necessary by interventions that help halt the decline in biodiversity and increase nature recovery over time.
The right to representation
To be represented and have these intrinsic rights recognised in decisions affecting the river’s health now and in the future.
Shared framework
Supporting the Charter is about working together and sharing common goals, not creating new legal duties. It does not change existing responsibilities relating to planning, regulation or enforcement, but instead offers a shared framework to help organisations work more closely together across the whole catchment.
Organisations and partners can refer to the Charter when making decisions that affect the river and its wider environment.
How Natural Flood Management Works
How organisations can commit their support for the Charter
All organisations across the Wye catchment area are invited to commit their support for the Charter, including the Rights of the River Wye.
They are also invited to set out how they can take action to put that support into practice, for the benefit of the River Wye.
These commitments will be added to a Charter Book that will collate all statements of support and intent with the Wye Catchment Partnership allowing the use of its email address to capture these.
Please email wyecatchmentpartnership@herefordshire.gov.uk and include:
- Organisation Name
- Statement of support
- Description of how organisation can put support into practice