The International Day of Action for Rivers is a day dedicated to solidarity – when diverse communities around the world come together with one voice to say that rivers matter. That communities having access to clean and flowing water matters. That everyone should have a say in decisions that affect their water and their lives. That it’s our time to stand up for these rights, now more than ever and understand the importance of being a protector and voice for rivers.
River edge
Rivers are important ecosystems that provide homes for many species of plants, insects and fish. These in turn provide food for our native birds and lizards. The riparian boundary is of particular importance to the river ecosystem because this is where most animals and plants seek shelter, but it is also the area most prone to damage by erosion. By protecting this margin we can help prevent erosion and also improve the quality of the water.
Civilizations grew up around rivers, and they are central to our lives and the survival of life on earth. Although freshwater ecosystems are so important, they are the most threatened in the world – freshwater species have seen an 83% decline since 1970 – twice the rate experienced within terrestrial or marine. They need our help – they need our voices. Speak out, defend, protect, restore, and be a river guardian.
For more information, see: www.internationalrivers.org/take-action
Related content
The Hub has extensive resources on water and freshwater, use these curations to explore further:
- Rivers and Us – introduction – exploring how people use water, the effects on water quality and investigation and data collection to inform action.
- Tōku awa koiora – introduction – exploring the restoration of the Waikato River.
- Freshwater resources – planning pathways – help for teachers, based on the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ report on the pressures, state and impacts of human activities on the freshwater environment in Our freshwater 2023.
- New Zealand’s freshwater fish – introduction – exploring our unique native fish, their habitats and suggestions on what we can do to help conserve this taonga (resources in te reo Māori and English).
- Smart Water – a context for learning is a suite of resources that foster a greater understanding and appreciation of water from source to tap.
For more resources, browse the wide range of content under our water or freshwater topics, remember you can use the filters.
