Rivers and lakes are naturally functioning, and wetland habitats are better, bigger, and connected to support wildlife and provide clean water and flood protection.
Dorset has rivers, streams, lakes and ponds, as well as wetland habitats including bog, fen, swamp, flush and inundation. Restoration and protection of chalk streams is particularly important as Dorset has a special responsibility for these globally rare habitats. Another important focus is the protection and enhancement of freshwater biodiversity in the Dorset and New Forest Important Freshwater Landscape.  

Freshwater habitats need to be enhanced, maintained and restored where they’ve been lost or disconnected from each other. This doesn’t just include the river corridor, but covers the whole water catchment, from individual sections of rivers and lakes to the plants in the riparian corridors, to surrounding wetland habitats. Areas of wetland can also be restored within other habitats to create:
 
  • wet woodland
  • wet grassland
  • wet heathland
  • small wetland features fed by springs and groundwater seepage
Small wetland features like seepage springs are important for wildlife, they are found where permeable geology overlays impermeable geology (typically Greensand), and often on valley sides above headwater streams.

Water needs to be clean to provide a healthy home to wildlife, and for humans to use for recreation and for water supplies to drink and wash in. Clean doesn’t just mean the water looks clear, it’s about having appropriate nutrient levels and reducing pollution. Rivers must also be cool enough to function well, especially as climate change brings warmer temperatures.  

Improvements to rivers, lakes and wetlands can help slow the flow of water across the landscape and provide natural flood management. Natural storage of water in the land will also help create a more sustainable supply of water. This is especially important as climate change will increase the risk of flood and drought. 

Typical river, lake and wetlands species

Otter
Otter
Sea trout
Sea trout
Round leaved sundew
Round leaved sundew

Nature recovery in action

Healthy peatlands support fantastically diverse and highly specialised wildlife. However, Dorset’s peatlands are fragmented and in poor condition due to historic management. The Dorset Peat Partnership, part of Dorset Catchment Partnerships, is led by Dorset Wildlife Trust and includes 6 other landowning partners. Funding for the partnership comes from Defra’s Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme, the Wytch Farm Landscape Access and  Enhancement Fund and others. The partnership is restoring 17 peatland sites across Dorset Heaths Special Area of Conservation over 3 years by: 
  • removing some trees where they are drying out peat through transpiration and breaking up peat structure with their roots 
  • blocking historic drains to rewet peat and stop its degradation 
  • flailing scrub and tussocky grasses to create conditions for peat-forming sphagnum mosses 
Nature recovery outcomes include habitats for important species restored, connected and enlarged, climate risks mitigated - for example, reduced impacts of high rainfall, drought and wildfire, and carbon emissions from degraded peat stopped and conditions created to permanently lock in new carbon over time.
 
Wetland restoration at Greenlands Mire, Dorset
Photo credit: Dorset Catchment Partnership 

Potential activities

See what activities people can carry out to help achieve this priority. You can view them all, or just look at the one most relevant to you. These activities are a guide and are not exhaustive, as there are many small activities involved in habitat management and restoring ecosystems.

The activities and Dorset’s nature recovery maps provide a starting point, but additional land management and ecological advice will often be needed to support activities on individual sites. 

Explore by sector

Select the sector you're interested in to see the relevant activities for this priority.

Explore all potential activities

Listed here are all the potential activities for this priority:
  • restore and enhance chalk streams and winterbourne streams and the important species they support
  • protect, enhance and connect Dorset’s few remaining wetland sites
  • create buffers of different plants, trees and woodlands along the river corridor (riparian planting or water body buffering) to create a diverse structure of shady areas to keep rivers cool and warmer open areas for fish spawning
  • reconnect rivers to their historic floodplain and re-establish dynamic wetland habitats
  • create or restore areas of wetland within existing woodland, heathland or grassland
  • carry out river restoration. For example, re-meander rivers that have been straightened to allow the water to take a natural path or put natural materials into the river channel to slow the flow of water (leaky dams)
  • improve slurry management to make best use of slurry as a source of organic nutrients, while also reducing risk of pollution into water courses
  • use sustainable farming practices that improve soil structure to reduce runoff and improve soil health, for example cover crops, no till and agroforestry
  • reduce the use of chemicals in farming, gardening and veterinary medicines. This includes preventative use of pesticides to treat parasites of domestic pets (as these often end up contaminating water bodies)
  • create buffer strips near waterbodies on farms, especially headwater streams. Buffer zones help reduce runoff of sediment and chemicals into the water, prevent livestock destabilising the riverbanks, and connect habitats in rivers and on land
  • create buffers of plants and trees along highways to slow water and reduce run-off of pollution from the roads
  • create, restore or protect priority ponds and adjacent habitats to provide homes for rare and endangered species
  • use an ecosystem-based fisheries management approach and sustainable aquaculture practices
  • remove man-made barriers in rivers that restrict fish movement or provide ways to swim around them. This in turn could lead to restoration of much larger areas of habitat that were lost due to the barrier. This may require coordination with multiple organisations and relevant permissions to be in place
  • restore and ‘re-wet’ peatlands to provide wildlife habitat and act as sponges that filter water to improve water quality, regulate water flow, increase flood protection and improve carbon storage
  • introduce mixed age cyclical reed cutting into reedbed management plans where possible, creating mixed age reed stands and enhancing habitats. Explore the potential to use materials from reedbed management to supply bioenergy, or once water quality improves, the thatching industry to help reduce its carbon footprint
  • use permeable materials if creating hard surfaces in urban areas, such as driveways, to direct rainwater into natural soakaways and back into the ground, rather than the wastewater system. Limit use of sealed surfaces like concrete and artificial grass that water quickly runs over quickly and into drains. This can help reduce flood risk and reduce the number of storm overflow discharges
  • use sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) in towns and villages, such as rain gardens, swales, street trees and ponds to slow and clean water, and provide wetland or boggy habitat. This can help reduce flood risk and reduce the number of storm overflow discharges
    Reduce the risk of prescription medication reaching and polluting waterways, by taking medications according to prescription and using pharmacies to dispose of any medications that are no longer required
  • improve maintenance of septic tanks, cesspits and sewage treatment works, and upgrade infrastructure, to reduce pollution reaching waterbodies
  • consider the role of beavers in maintaining and creating wetlands, follow all licencing procedures for beaver releases and plan the management of potential impacts on infrastructure, livelihoods and buildings
  • support communities where free-living beavers are present through the Dorset Beaver Management Group by providing advice on management requirements in response to beaver activity
  • reduce the volume of water abstraction from the chalk aquifer, to support nature recovery of chalk streams
  • if working on greensand or chalk geology that may contain small wetland features like seepage springs, seek specialist advice about their conservation and recovery. Explore opportunities for sustainable use of spring water to increase water supply resilience in farming