An ongoing documentary series
Custodians
The people protecting Britain’s rarest freshwater landscapes.
Chalk streams · England · OngoingThe series
A portrait of the people who keep these waters alive.
Custodians begins on England’s chalk streams, following the keepers, riparian owners and fishery managers whose lives are bound to the water, and to the trout and salmon fisheries these rivers sustain.
Why these waters matter
Chalk streams are globally significant and exceptionally fragile. Fed by clear groundwater and shaped over centuries, these rare rivers support a remarkable web of life. Most are concentrated in the south of England, where abstraction, pollution and development are putting them under increasing pressure.
The series puts a human face on conservation. It documents practical knowledge, long commitment and the daily decisions that keep these rivers alive, bringing that work to a wider audience and explaining why it matters far beyond the riverbank.
This is the first chapter. Over time, Custodians will move into other rare and threatened environments across the UK, and eventually further afield.
The next chapter