London’s most popular Thames is crucial for the communities living around it owing to drinking water, food and even offers protection from coastal flooding.
According to the most comprehensive analysis of the waterway since it was declared biologically dead in the 1950s.
But scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), revealed that Thames is suffering from rising nitrate levels as a result of industrial runoff and sewage discharges. Water levels and temperature are also rising as a result of global heating. Therefore, seahorses, eels, seals and sharks are living in the tidal Thames.
The thriving ecosystem of the river is “home to myriad wildlife as diverse as London itself,” the ZSL says now it supports 115 species of fish and wildlife from seahorses to seals.
While ZSL declared the Thames is no longer “nearly devoid of life,” The ZSL,launched the Greater Thames Shark Project in 2020 to collect data on the endangered shark species that live in the outer estuary.
According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species classified it as a critically endangered species, Tope sharks can grow to more than 6 feet long and can live for over 50 years whereas the Starry smooth-hound sharks have recently been designated as near threatened. The spurdog has been made vulnerable to extinction due to overfishing.
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ZSL used 17 different indicators to assess the health of the Thames’s natural environment. It highlighted the impact of dedicated conservation efforts, such as the Salt Fleet Flats reserve near the mouth of the Thames on its southern bank. The mudflats and saltmarsh habitat was created in 2016 and is home to a range of wading birds.
The ZSL report also highlights recreational use of the river, from rowing to kayaking and fishing to tourist boats. “As a diverse environment, accessible to millions of people, the tidal Thames is an important source of cognitive benefits,” the report said.