How water availability and quality affects wildlife welfare across urban, agricultural, and wild landscapes, and what individuals can do to help.
Access to clean water is a fundamental physiological need for all animals. In natural environments, this need is typically met through rivers, ponds, and rainfall. But habitat modification, drought, and pollution have reduced water availability for wildlife across many landscapes. Urban wildlife faces particular challenges - foxes, hedgehogs, pigeons, and songbirds in cities may have limited access to water during heatwaves. Agricultural landscapes with field drainage and pond loss also create water scarcity for farmland wildlife. Garden ponds and water features provide genuinely important welfare resources for a wide range of wildlife.