The UK Has Lost 90% of Its Wetlands | Restoring Nature with the Cotswold Canals Connected Project

Over the past 200 years, the UK has lost more than 90% of its wetlands. To help reverse this decline, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has partnered with Stroud District Council, Cotswold Canals Trust, and many other organisations, with funding support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, on the Cotswold Canals Connected (CCC) project.

This project aims to be the first canal restoration in the UK to achieve Biodiversity Net Gain. It will not only restore the currently derelict canal for boat traffic, but also create blue-green corridors that support ecosystem recovery, strengthen the Nature Recovery Network, and improve habitats between Saul Junction and Stonehouse in response to development and climate change.

Many volunteers worked hard on on restoration efforts across various sites, and we’d like to take a moment to celebrate the positive changes we’ve seen over the past year.

Watch this short film about this incredible project, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.