Swindale Beck, a stream in Cumbria, in the heart of the UK’s Lake District, meanders through fields, farmland and valleys. However, not long ago, the river took a far more linear course.

A healthy river should be sinuous, free flowing and replete with wildlife. In Britain, however, 97% of rivers are fragmented by artificial barriers like weirs. Now, there is at least one artificial barrier for every 1.5km of stream in the country. And for centuries rivers have been slowly canalised – or artificially straightened – to stop water from flooding and spilling onto farmland and houses.

But removing a river’s natural meanders has, in fact, achieved the opposite effect. Instead, it’s disrupted the flow of rivers and degraded aquatic habitats, water quality and heightened flood risk. As the poor health of Europe’s rivers and streams continues to make news – due to dwindling wildlife, sewage pollution and agricultural runoff – communities are turning towards natural solutions to restore their rivers.