Working with Water Companies
Our position on working with water companies
Wiltshire is home to some of the world’s most precious freshwater habitats, including our internationally important chalk streams. Healthy rivers, wetlands and groundwater are vital for wildlife, people and resilient landscapes.
Yet our freshwater environment faces significant pressures, including pollution, agricultural run-off, habitat loss, over-abstraction and the impacts of climate change.
Water companies have an important responsibility to address their impact on the water environment, alongside the need for effective regulation, enforcement and investment.
At Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, our priority is nature’s recovery. We believe this requires both advocating for healthier rivers and working collaboratively to deliver practical solutions on the ground. As experts in river restoration, our dedicated Freshwater Team has an important role to play in nurturing rivers back to health.
We therefore work with a range of organisations, including water companies, where we believe this can make a positive and meaningful contribution to nature’s recovery.
Our approach
Nature comes first.
Our work must contribute to genuine environmental improvement and align with our charitable objectives and priorities for nature’s recovery.
We maintain our independence.
Working with a water company does not mean endorsing its wider environmental performance. We retain our independence and our ability to raise concerns and advocate for improvements where these are needed.
We consider opportunities carefully.
Potential funding and partnerships are assessed through our due diligence and governance processes, taking account of environmental benefit, strategic fit and any ethical or reputational considerations.
Environmental harm should be put right.
Where funding arises from environmental offences, including through Voluntary Enforcement Undertakings, we support the principle that those responsible for environmental harm should contribute to its restoration. These opportunities are considered through our dedicated VEU Policy and due diligence process.
Restoring our rivers will require action from government, regulators, landowners, businesses, communities and the water sector. Our role is to apply our deep expertise in river restoration to achieve the best possible outcomes for nature, while remaining an independent voice for Wiltshire’s rivers and wildlife.