Why is Windermere important?

Windermere is the basin into which all the water from the surrounding fells, lakes and rivers feed. It's important to remember that anything that goes into these rivers and lakes ends up in this one lake and it's under extreme pressure from too much phosphate.

Windermere Fact File 

• England's largest natural lake
• Regarded as the most iconic lake in the Lake District, providing a focus at the heart of the area's resident and visitor communities
• The landscape of the Windermere catchment attracts in excess of 5 million visitors each year, providing the mainstay of the local economy
• The lake has a public right of navigation enjoyed by yachts and motor cruisers, smaller rowing boats and canoes, and is well-used for swimming

Windermere Wildlife 

• It is home to the Arctic Charr - a cold water fish species surviving in the deeper cold waters, at the southern limit of its British range
• The lake also supports brown trout, pike, perch, roach and eels, and salmon and sea trout pass through the lake to spawn in the tributaries
• The lake has an important place in freshwater science, with a long history of monitoring by the Freshwater Biological Association (from 1945) and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (since 1989)

It's clear that we need to nurture the lake to protect it from further deterioration. By taking action now, we can stop the same problems expereinced elsewhere and prevent any decline of Windermere.

What can you do?