The IFM have joined with a number of other nature groups to call on the government to make good on its promise to ‘fundamentally transform’ the water system and improve outcomes for people and the environment. In the Charter for Small Waters, we urge the Government to make good on this promise by redressing a persistent regulatory oversight – the omission of small waters from statutory management. Small waters include ponds, headwater streams and small wetlands, that collectively are critical for our freshwater wildlife.

Most of the water environment is made up of small waters. Yet policy makers have paid less attention to this vital part of the water environment than bigger, more obvious, waters. To protect life in freshwaters properly we must take account of small waters: they are the lifeblood of the water environment, some of our most natural, wildlife rich habitats and vital if we are to resist the impacts of climate changes. They are the streams we paddle in and the ponds we dip in for the joy of seeing tiny fish and insects. They are the tumbling mountain torrent and the quiet shaded pools. They are the local pond and the local streams, the familiar everyday countryside that is vital to the survival of nature.

Executive summary
Around 75% of England’s freshwaters are small water bodies, including streams, ponds, small lakes, springs, flushes and ditches. These habitats support over 70% of our freshwater species, and provide essential resource and connectivity across the wider landscape.
Small waters represent a significant opportunity to take efficient, effective measures to drive environmental improvement for the freshwater network in the short to medium term, at relatively low cost. These significant benefits should be realised through a programme of protection, restoration, creation and monitoring for small waters.

The charter can be read below