Our upland moors, those fantastically mossy sponges that provide much of our drinking water, have been drained, degraded and dried out. Our lowland fens have been stripped of their watery character. Every major river in England has been diverted, channelled, or dredged to move water off the land faster, while field drains have been laid under much of our countryside. England has lost 90% of its wetlands, including almost half a million ponds. Put simply, we have desiccated our landscape.

Such interventions look painfully short-sighted today.