Cambridgeshire MP hopes UNESCO status gives chalk streams new lease of life
Pippa Heylings is due to put forward a Bill today
A Cambridgeshire MP believes getting global recognition for the county's chalk streams can help better protect them.
Pippa Heylings is due to put forward a Ten Minute Rule Bill today (Wednesday), calling to make chalk rivers in the UK a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.
Ms Heylings would get 10 minutes to make her case for why the Government should apply to UNESCO to give the streams international status.
"We're taking too much water out of them, so they're dry and not replenishing," she said.
"These are things that getting UNESCO world heritage (status) raises that level of pride and gets the water companies to know the world's eyes are on them.
"What we should be doing is recognising their international significance, and these heritage sites are what I call the global 'green Oscars' and we should be proud of them."
What is a chalk stream?
According to The Wildlife Trusts, chalk rivers emerge from the chalk aquifer, where water is rich in minerals and remains at a fairly constant temperature all year-round.
This allows for plants and various species - including fish - to grow.
The Trusts estimate 200 chalk rivers are known globally, 85% of which are found in the UK in southern and eastern England.
Pressures facing chalk streams
Experts say chalk streams are at risk from environmental factors, such as pollution and climate change.
Other issues include over-abstraction causing chalk rivers to dry out in the summer months, as well as a lack of legal protections around theses sites.
Ms Heylings hopes the Bill will preserve chalk rivers for future generations, while also giving wider benefits to local communities.
"This will enable us to get international significance, it helps with investment to help clean and look after them, and it strengthens the legal protections (of these sites) in the country," she added.
"It brings in tourism and that investment into what we need to do to care for them (chalk streams).
"Not saying we want more growth in Cambridge, but it's about making sure we've got quality spaces protected within that growth and we know in Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, water is an issue."