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Why are rivers important?

'....the purest and most transparent stream I ever yet saw, either home or abroad.'
Cotton, writing about the River Lathkill.

Landscape Value of Rivers and Streams

Rivers and streams cross the limestone dales, shale valleys and gritstone cloughs.  They provide sound, movement, contrast and variation in the landscape.

Be it the mirror reflection of the hills and moorland in the Ladybower Reservoir, the rushing sound of the stream falling over gritstone boulders in Padley Gorge, or the quiet, slow flow of the River Wye through the market town of Bakewell - all are part of the Peak District landscape.

Wildlife Value of Rivers and Streams

For wildlife, rivers and streams are an important resource.  Not only are they important for fish, amphibians and water-loving plants but also for the many insects whose larvae depend on water or for the birds that make their nests close to the water's edge.

Following an upland stream, as it leaves the high moorland or limestone plateau and gradually widens to join a river crossing fields and plains, there is an incredible change in the environment.  As a result, our river corridors support an amazing diversity of wildlife.  To find out more follow these links:

Dark Peak and Southwest rivers & streams flow over the gritstone and shale and are home to fish such as the bullhead and brook lamprey.
White Peak rivers & streams are affected by the seasons but still support an amazing diversity of wildlife, including the dipper, the water vole, the endangered white-clawed crayfish and the only known location of Derbyshire feather-moss.
Floodplains

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