Freshwater Habitats Trust CEO Jeremy Biggs recognised in ENDS Power List 2026
2nd June 2026
Freshwater Habitats Trust CEO Professor Jeremy Biggs has been recognised as one of the UK’s most impactful environmental figures in the 2026 ENDS Power List.
Nominated in the ‘Unsung Heroes’ category, Jeremy is ranked for “…making the case for ponds and small waterbodies as critical sanctuaries for biodiversity, long before this was widely recognised.”
ENDS Report’s Power List reveals the environmental professionals who have made the greatest impact in the past two years. The Unsung Heroes category celebrates those professionals, practitioners and campaigners who have brought about positive change without receiving the recognition they deserve.
Jeremy has led the development of Freshwater Habitats Trust since its creation in 1988. Today, his long-standing vision of a Freshwater Network is helping to shape the charity’s ambitious national programme of research, monitoring and practical conservation.
Over nearly four decades Jeremy’s work has helped transform how small waters are understood and valued. At a time when small waterbodies, such as ponds, streams and small wetlands, were almost entirely overlooked, Jeremy paved the way for the first national survey of ponds. Today, he continues to lead initiatives that monitor, create and restore the water environment across England and Wales.
A visiting professor at Oxford Brookes University, Jeremy is recognised as one of the UK’s leading freshwater biologists and regularly publishes scientific research with international impact. He recently co-authored Ponds, Pools and Puddles for the iconic Collins New Naturalist series, bringing together a huge body of evidence demonstrating the value of ponds for biodiversity conservation.
- Freshwater Habitats Trust CEO Professor Jeremy Biggs surveying a pond at the Waddesdon estate. Photo: Jill Mead.
As a passionate advocate for understanding and protecting the whole freshwater environment, Jeremy’s work has impacted policy over nearly four decades and is currently contributing to the development of the upcoming Clean Water Bill.
Jeremy said: “I’m delighted to have been nominated by colleagues in the sector for the ENDS Power List and that the panel of judges recognises the value of the work I’ve contributed to.
“The real unsung heroes are, of course, my Freshwater Habitats Trust colleagues and partners, past and present, who work tirelessly every day to reverse the decline in freshwater biodiversity.
“And the other unsung heroes are the small waters that I’ve dedicated my working life to protecting and restoring. Ponds, headwater streams and little flushes and fens rarely get the spotlight they deserve but have the power to regenerate whole landscapes.”
The ENDS Power List acknowledges that that much of Jeremy’s impact has been achieved quietly, “shaping policy, practice and partnerships away from the spotlight.”
One supporter explains: “Over nearly four decades, Jeremy’s work has transformed how small waters are understood and valued and it would be wonderful to see this contribution recognised.”