ZSL report celebrates Thames cleanup
The Thames has “a new lease of life,” according to the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) in its latest report of the river. However, it warns that rising temperatures and pollution still threaten the “hard-won resurrection.”
The updated The State of the Thames report from ZSL highlights how “decades of dedicated action have bettered the Thames for people and nature,” such as “beloved” species including harbour porpoises and wading birds.
These improvements include lower concentration of toxic metals and more “breathable” water for the underwater wildlife in the river, as well as new “riverside walkways and nature habitats along its banks that are enjoyed by London’s residents and visitors.”
The report also reveals how “rapidly regulation can bring benefits.” Plastic cotton bud sticks, it said, were once one of most common litter items found in the river, but they have “all but disappeared” since the UK sales-ban in 2022. ZSL says it hopes the same will be achieved for plastic wet wipes, branding them “another disastrous form of pollution” which are due to be banned later this year.
The report also shows “the need for cross-government action” to protect the river, and the essential services it provides to the nine million people living along it, including providing drinking water, food, livelihoods, protection from coastal flooding, and offsetting the harmful impacts of carbon emissions.
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