The River Thames, which passes through South London, has seen a loss of biodiversity since the twentieth century, losing as much as 95% of its native oysters. However, as the Conversation reported, recent conservation efforts have seen an impressive turnaround in its water quality and the return of species.
Urbanization, dating back to the Victorian era, took away vital nursery grounds for fish. About only 1% of the original embankment remained, leaving the Thames as "biologically dead."
The Estuary Edges project set out to engineer habitats along the riverbanks to create a more natural edge to help water flow and provide food and living space for wildlife. Conservationists surveyed nine areas along the estuary. From 2017 until 2023, they surveyed over 1,000 fish, finding that soft areas with good water flow supported more fish.
With these findings, conservationists constructed new habitats that included moved back walls, sloped terraces, and textured walls. One wall along the Greenwich Millennium Terraces formed a natural drainage channel that now supports mullets, flounders, and eels. These changes show conservationists how "habitat creation works" and provide evidence of the "remarkable comeback" for the Thames.
"Creating and restoring habitats is not only about helping fish and other wildlife," wrote Wanda Bodnar, PhD candidate at the Marine and Estuarine Science at the University College London, per the Conversation. "Shallow, plant-rich edges [stabilize] sediments, absorb waves, improve water quality, and strengthen climate resilience. They also create peaceful 'blue havens': places where people can reconnect with the river."
Restoring marine life populations is important not just for protecting those species, but also for protecting cities and our lives. Restoring the River Thames and other bodies of water can help protect cities from storm damage and reduce rising Earth temperatures.
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Areas around the Thames have seen positive news with species returning, including the water vole, with other species, including sharks, eels, and seals, thriving in the river.
While fish biodiversity has risen significantly in the last 35 years, the River Thames still has a sewage and pollution problem, with over 72 billion liters poured into it in a two-year period. To protect the river's water quality and fish species, it will take a wider range of restoration, including litter removal and reoxygenating it. Another project, Transforming the Thames, works on restoring and reconnecting other habitats along the river.
"Together, Estuary Edges and Transforming the Thames offer complementary approaches to habitat recovery: creating new habitats along the urban river edge while restoring those lost across the broader estuary," said Bodnar.
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