Empowering citizens to protect their rivers

The Riverfly Partnership is a dynamic network of organisations, representing anglers, conservationists, entomologists, scientists, water course managers and relevant authorities, working together to: protect the water quality of our rivers; further the understanding of riverfly populations; and actively conserve riverfly habitats.

The Riverfly Partnership is hosted by the Freshwater Biological Association.

Mayfly illustration

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About riverflies

Riverflies are invertebrates that spend most of their life cycle in a river, stream, pond or lake. The three key groups are stoneflies, caddisflies and mayflies. Along with other freshwater invertebrates, they are at the heart of the freshwater ecosystem and are a vital link in the aquatic food chain. Their common characteristics of limited mobility, relatively long life cycle, presence throughout the year, and specific tolerances to changes in environmental conditions make them good indicators of water quality.

Go to the Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (RMI) page for information on how volunteers help to assess and protect the health of their local rivers by monitoring riverfly populations.

More than 270 species of mayflies, caddisflies and stoneflies have been recorded in the UK, eight of which were given Biodiversity Action Plan status and therefore are recognised as of priority for conservation by the government.

Our projects

Caddisfly on leaf

Get involved

Monitoring is an excellent way to protect river health while fostering local community, science and and sustainability.

Caddisfly drawing

 Images on this page: Jonathan Plimmer, Andrew Head, Martin Smith, Sharon Flint, Richard Bradford (all Flickr). H. Ferguson & Stuart Crofts, The Riverfly Partnership.