Nature is in crisis. Will you help us protect it?

Canals and rivers are now playing an increasingly important role in providing vital connected spaces for wildlife.

That’s why we are fundraising to protect and preserve our waterways for the species that depend on them, before it's too late.

From hedgerows and grassland to waterway banks and verges, canals and their surrounding vegetation provide unique, interconnected spaces where wildlife can feed, move and take refuge. But this does not happen by itself. 

Canals require constant care, expert management and hands-on work to continue to support nature. Our teams and volunteers are busy restoring reedbeds, managing water levels and removing invasive species that threaten the existence of native wildlife.   

Your donation today could help protect the nature you love by making this work possible.

What are we doing to protect nature?

Installing floating reedbeds

Since 1945, more than 40% of England's reedbeds have vanished, taking with them some of nature's most vital ecosystems.  

These remarkable habitats act as natural water filters and provide shelter for amphibians, mammals and nesting birds. Thanks to the generosity of supporters like you, we've already restored and established 85 hectares of reedbed habitat across England and Wales, giving nesting swans and other species a place to thrive.  

But the work isn't done. Every donation helps us plant and maintain more stretches as we fight to protect nature across our network.

Protecting endangered water voles

Water voles are also in crisis. UK populations have fallen by 90% since the 1970s due to habitat loss and predation from invasive American Mink.  

Once a familiar sight along our canals, these charming creatures are now fighting for survival. That's why we've created 33km of aquatic habitat across our network, planting carefully chosen vegetation and installing 1,700 metres of coir roll to stabilise banks and prevent erosion, giving water voles the food and shelter they desperately need.

Your support could help fund the daily work that keeps these habitats alive. Help protect the places wildlife still depends on.

Nature is in crisis. Your canal is a lifeline.