How to protect the ocean through river conservation
Written by Carissa Cabrera, founder of Futureswell
As an ocean conservationist, I've spent the majority of my life dedicated to building solutions that last, and inviting others to do the same. The lesson I've learned over and over is that if we want to solve an issue, we must look upstream at the big picture to gain the full perspective. For our oceans, that means remembering they are just one piece of a larger watershed ecosystem - connected by rivers that need our protection, too.
In honor of World Rivers Day, I'm sharing simple ways to integrate river conservation into your path in environmentalism in partnership with Rivers are Life – a network of individuals, nonprofit organizations and partners invested in the long-term health of rivers through conservation.
1. Understand the role rivers play in a healthy planet
Rivers are natural pathways that lead us from mountaintops to the ocean. They carry vital nutrients and freshwater that are crucial to supporting the ocean food chain and smaller ecosystems on the coastline, like mangroves! Many ocean species, like salmon, rely on rivers to survive as part of their life cycle and as habitat. During heavy rains, rivers become transport highways for whatever is in their path, including runoff from cities and farms. This is why littering upstream and using pesticides on our food farms is an upstream threat to our ocean - rivers carry the pollution downstream. When river systems are healthy and intact, they serve as a buffer to prevent runoff and flooding, act as a carbon sink, and make sure our water is clean. Rivers are quite literally a force of nature that we must protect.
2. Connect to your river locally
Did you know that 90% of us live within walking distance of a river system? By connecting to our rivers, we can better understand what makes them unique and how our local river may need our help. Chances are, your river system has an organization that cares for it. By plugging into that community, you can play an immediate role in preserving your river. If your area doesnʻt have one, could you be the leader who creates it? By acting locally, we can protect our planet globally!
3. Learn from River Heroes around the world
River Heroes are the individuals and organizations leading projects to protect rivers, and Rivers are Life is working to support 1,000 of their projects. As a storytelling, community, and action platform, Rivers are Life can be a hub for us to learn what river solutions look like in practice, from stopping upstream pollution in Alaska to protecting biodiversity in Europe. Through the power of storytelling, they produce and share short films that we can all learn from. My personal favorite is about Cash, “The Conservation Kid” Daniels, but their entire collection on Youtube is worth watching.
4. Bring river conservation into your daily routine
Conserving our planet is a marathon, not a sprint. And while conservation wasnʻt taught to all of us growing up, it can be something that we make part of our routine now. My best recommendation is to bring conservation into your life with ease to start. Rivers are Life has both a newsletter and a Youtube channel for you to join the movement today. The newsletter shares updates and new River Hero projects, but the short films on their Youtube truly tell the story of how we will protect these fragile and irreplaceable ecosystems. You can even share your own local river system + story through tagging them on Instagram at @rivers_are_life. We are not separate from nature, and this is a great first step to remind yourself and others.
Without healthy rivers, we cannot have a healthy ocean. We cannot lose sight of that connection as we work to conserve our planet in our own areas of expertise. Just as resilient, protected rivers help build resilient, protected oceans, we can also be pathways of solutions for others by learning from one another and connecting to our river and community. The journey to effective conservation begins with us, just as the ocean begins upstream.
About FutureSwell:
Futureswell is a conservation media group working to scale ocean climate solutions through storytelling and collective impact. Through modern media like short-form content, podcast episodes, and video series, Futureswell creates pathways to action for young people to find their place in the ocean conservation movement. Futureswell was founded by two marine biologists, Carissa Cabrera and Alex Filardo, to amplify effective environmental solutions and inspire change.
