There is something timelessly British about standing by a clear, gently bubbling stream, with children paddling, kingfishers flashing past, and trout holding steady in the current.

Listen to this article

As the world around us changes, scenes like this have brought joy to generations before us and should bring joy to many generations to come.

In many parts of the country, like in my constituency of South Cambridgeshire, these rivers and streams are not just places in which local communities rightly take pride and care for, but places of international importance.

Our chalk streams are one of the rarest habitats on Earth. Only around 200 are known to exist worldwide, and England is home to roughly 85 per cent of them. They are the jewel in the crown of our natural heritage, as precious to England as the Great Barrier Reef is to Australia or the Amazon Rainforest to South America.

The crystal-clear waters of a chalk stream are unique, bursting with life, hosting some of our most threatened wildlife and home to more plant species than any other English river.

Yet despite their rarity and beauty, most chalk streams are in crisis. Only one in six meets good ecological status, and not a single English river is in good overall health. As Channel 4’s new drama has shown, and Liberal Democrats have long been campaigning against, water firms have been getting away with destroying our precious rivers and chalk streams all whilst making massive profits.

What’s more, many chalk streams are now running dry in the summer months because too much water is taken out. The increasing impact of climate change is compounding these pressures, with rising temperatures threatening the existence of the wildlife that relies on these cool, clean waters.

What makes the deteriorating health of our chalk streams so troubling is how poorly protected they are. Despite some protections from retained EU law, fewer than a dozen have meaningful legal protection, and only a handful are safeguarded at the highest conservation level. That is wholly inadequate for habitats of such global importance.

That’s why I’m introducing the Chalk Streams (UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site) Bill to require the Government to begin the formal process of nominating the UK’s chalk streams as a serial Natural World Heritage Site under UNESCO.

World Heritage status is not a badge for show. It would formally recognise chalk streams for their international significance, strengthen long-term protections, and help galvanise public engagement and investment in their recovery.

Given the long, rigorous process of nomination to UNESCO, the Government must also act now to save our chalk streams. They should put them alongside ancient woodland as an irreplaceable habitat in planning policy, and the tens of millions in fines levied against polluting water companies should be reinvested in a ring-fenced fund dedicated to chalk stream restoration.

The government has itself recognised that stronger protections are needed. A government minister recently observed: "If our chalk streams were buildings, they would be UNESCO heritage sites. Let us protect them as though they were." Well, we can do better than that. We can and must protect them as UNESCO heritage sites.

As a nation that prides itself on its love for nature and prepares to celebrate the 100th birthday of nature’s greatest advocate, David Attenborough, in May, we have a responsibility to act. If we fail to safeguard our chalk streams now, we’re on the brink of losing one of the world’s best natural treasures and depriving future generations of a uniquely British joy which can never be replaced.

Pippa Heylings MP is the Liberal Democrats' Energy and Net Zero Spokesperson.

LBC Opinion provides a platform for diverse opinions on current affairs and matters of public interest.

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official LBC position.

To contact us email opinion@lbc.co.uk

© LBC