The Charter for the River Wye sets out a series of shared principles reflecting the importance of the River Wye and its tributaries to people, nature and future generations.
The River Wye is central to the county's natural environment, rural economy, tourism, heritage and the wellbeing of communities across the catchment.
Background to the Charter
The Charter was developed in 2025 as a shared statement of intent by a working group of community representatives, environmental organisations, councillors and others with an interest in the future of the river.
The working group included members of the Wye Catchment Partnership and the Wye Catchment Nutrient Management Board, who together represent a broad range of interests connected to the River Wye.
There has been wide support for the Charter from Welsh and English county and district councils, alongside endorsement from the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park and Wye Valley National Landscape. This is the first time in the UK that there has been such widespread support for a charter of this kind.
Shared framework
Supporting the Charter is about working together and sharing common goals, not creating new legal duties. It does not change existing responsibilities relating to planning, regulation or enforcement, but instead offers a shared framework to help organisations work more closely together across the whole catchment.
Organisations and partners can refer to the Charter when making decisions that affect the river and its wider environment.
Executive response
Following majority support at Full Council on 5 December 2025, Herefordshire Council has produced an executive response through a Cabinet Member decision, including recommendations for how the council can practically support the Charter. You can read the executive response in full.
The Rights of the River Wye
The Charter identifies fundamental requirements that enable the river system to function and continue to deliver the essential services communities depend on. While these Rights of the River Wye have no legal standing, they intend to guide the long-term protection and recovery of the river and its catchment.
The Rights are:
The right to flow and perform natural functions
To maintain its natural course and seasonal rhythms without obstructions or extractions that detrimentally affect the ecological function of any part of the river system.
The right to biodiversity
To achieve good biological health through the existence of balanced, diverse and viable populations of native species and habitats specific to the Wye and its tributaries.
The right to be free from pollution
To exist in a state of ecological health and not be subject to detrimental levels of known and emerging pollutants that adversely affect the life of the river.
The right to be supported by a healthy catchment
To flow through environments which support the river as a balanced, sustainable and resilient aquatic ecosystem.
The right to regenerate
To recover ecological function through natural processes, supported where necessary by interventions that help halt the decline in biodiversity and increase nature recovery over time.
The right to representation
To be represented and have these intrinsic rights recognised in decisions affecting the river's health now and in the future.
How to support the aims of the Charter
Residents, businesses, farmers, landowners and community groups all have a role to play in protecting and improving the health of the River Wye and its tributaries.
People can support the aims of the Charter in many ways, including reducing pollution, improving land and water management, supporting biodiversity, volunteering with local environmental groups and learning more about the challenges facing the river.
The Wye Catchment Partnership website shows some of the groups and organisations working towards river betterment. Explore their projects to find ways to get involved.
Read the Charter and background as produced by the working group