Latest news with #rivers
The Herald
22-07-2025
- Health
- The Herald
We lose out when excluding indigenous knowledge in conservation
Where I come from, biodiversity is not separate from us. It does not belong to any government agency or board. The forests and rivers belong to the stories we share and pass down through generations. Some stories make us laugh, while others teach children to respect nature by inspiring a little fear. We gather herbs from the shrubs and forests. In my village, there are no fences marking boundaries, no ranger stations watching over the trees, and no signs declaring these places protected. Yet despite this, biodiversity continues to thrive. Animals live freely, plants grow wild, and the sounds of the rivers splash alive among us. People have lived like this for generations, quietly and respectfully coexisting with nature. That is why, when someone in the village falls ill and there is no access to a clinic's treatment, we do not turn to a pharmacy but to an elder who knows the secrets of the forest. They go into the forest and come back with a healing solution that has no price tag. Their knowledge of the land allows them to get healing directly from nature, without expense, and this method has been used for years. Sometimes I wonder, what if those forests had been closed off, declared a 'protected area' where access for the local people was restricted, and the traditional knowledge of our elders ignored as superstition? We would not have been able to get plants such as isiqhuziso to protect our cattle from infections and keep them strong. We would lose access to umhlondlo , which helps women relieve menstrual pain, and we would have nowhere to get umashiqolo for treating bile-related illnesses. While many of these remedies have not been studied or certified through formal science, they have our loyalty because of how they have helped our communities over generations. Their value lives in our continued survival. Losing that access would not just mean losing these plants; it would mean losing part of our identity, our healing traditions, and the deep relationship we have always had with the land that sustains us in so many ways. We have seen it happen in other parts of the country that were declared protected, at the cost of the community. For example, the Dwesa-Cwebe Nature Reserve, which was established in the mid-1980s and resulted in the forced relocation of residents. Even today, some of the locals still feel a deep sense of loss, believing this modern approach to scientific conservation came at the cost of their livelihoods and wellbeing. Elders who once led controlled burns or visited sacred rivers now watch from a distance. Though this may have been beneficial for natural biodiversity, it was detrimental to their everyday life. Therefore, in their exclusion and silence, there is much that we lose. We lose stories, knowledge, and the balance of interaction. This is not how conservation should be, and thankfully, it is not how SA National Parks (SANParks) sees the future either. SANParks Vision 2040 speaks of a future rooted in collaborative conservation, inclusivity, and the empowerment of communities as partners in protecting nature. It envisions parks that do not stand apart from people but stand with them. Where local voices shape environmental decisions, where indigenous knowledge is not treated as optional, but as essential. This vision gives me hope because it stands for what we have always known — that true conservation does not come from separation. It comes from a relationship and continuous learning. The plants that heal us do not need to be locked away at the risk of their extinction. They are still here because we have protected them ourselves daily with our hands, not with documents and policies. So as SANParks works towards Vision 2040, it would be important to look towards communities such as mine, not just for consultation, but for leadership. To learn from those who have conserved without any formal recognition. Let us make sure that 'protected area' never means 'people excluded'. Let it mean 'people empowered'. As we imagine new pathways for conservation that include indigenous voices and leadership, we must also rethink how people visit and experience these landscapes. This is where regenerative tourism becomes essential. Unlike traditional tourism, which is often consumer-centric, regenerative tourism seeks to give back more than it takes, to heal the land, revive local economies, and restore cultural knowledge. Imagine travellers coming not to consume an experience, but to learn from indigenous practices, to support local guides who share stories of their ancestors, and to participate in restoration activities that align with community values. This type of tourism invites people into the ecosystem of care, rather than checking off destinations. It becomes a way of keeping knowledge alive, encouraging deeper connections between visitors and the land, and supporting the communities who have always been its guardians. In the rural areas, we have learnt from walking among the trees, not from observing behind fences. But if we continue to keep people out, we risk more than separation; we risk forgetting. One day, the plants may still grow, but no-one will remember what they are for. The stories, the knowledge, and the relationship, all could vanish. And when that connection is gone, the forests may no longer help anyone at all, not because they cannot, but because no-one remembers how to connect with them any more. If the forests and rivers were never close to us, we would not have received their healing benefits for children and livestock, nor would their spiritual guidance have been passed down through generations. Uviwe Mahlanza is a SANParks communications intern based in the Garden Route National Park. She was born and bred in Mkambati Village in Bizana, Eastern Cape. The views and opinions expressed in this article are hers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SANParks. The Herald
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
The only way to really clean up our stinking rivers and seas is to send a few top water bosses to prison: GEOFFREY LEAN
You might think it next to impossible to mismanage water quite so grossly in a nation surrounded by seas, running with rivers and notorious for its wet climate. But that is precisely what our water companies and successive governments have done for decades, outrageously turning the 'stuff of life' into a massive polluter and danger to health.
CBC
20-07-2025
- Climate
- CBC
B.C. unveils new drought-tracking system
As the driest summer months approach, the B.C. government has unveiled a new system to track and report drought conditions in the province. The program will show how much water a community has stored for use and how well rivers and creeks are flowing.
BBC News
11-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
South east rivers hit by pollution as temperatures soar
The health of rivers across south-east England is under growing threat as hot and dry weather has caused water levels to plummet and pollution to spike, according to the Angling Trust. The charity warns that the UK's hottest spring on record coupled with pollution has pushed some rivers -including the River Medway in Kent and River Wandle in Surrey - to the brink. Conservationists say low flows and concentrated pollutants such as ammonia and nitrates - that come from the likes of farming and sewage - have caused fish to die. Alex Farquhar of the Angling Trust said the concentration of pollutants was "through the roof and that's what really matters to fish and ecosystems". So far in 2025 up to 21 June, temperatures across rivers in England and Wales have been recorded at their highest since the trust began a nationwide citizen science monitoring project three years the River Wandle, a chalk stream that runs through Surrey and London, water temperatures that typically range between 11C and 13C have soared to more than 20C in places this month, putting the fragile ecosystem under temperatures in March, April, and May were significantly above average – up 1.8C higher than in spring 2023. Even small increases have major consequences for species like wild brown trout and the endangered Atlantic salmon as warmer waters hold less oxygen, disrupt spawning, and intensify the toxicity of pollutants. In its latest report, the trust said the ecological consequences of this year's warm, dry conditions were already being seen in rivers across England and far in 2025, there have been 87 confirmed fish kill incidents, including those caused by pollution, low oxygen, and natural factors. There have been 36 incidents of low flows so far this year- when river levels are reduced and pollution concentrations are Angling Trust's Water Quality Monitoring Network (WQMN), powered by volunteers, has this year registered record pollution the River Medway in Kent 15 sites were tested at least eight times between July 2023 and July 2024. Each one breached the upper limit for good ecological status, due to high phosphate levels. Call for action The warnings come as policymakers, regulators, and environmental groups gathered for a national summit this week to address the crisis. Water companies, Ofwat, campaigners and government representatives discussed how to curb pollution and strengthen river resilience in the face of climate restoration expert Dr Jack Hogan said the future was "not looking good". He said: "If things were to continue as they are, in the next couple of decades, many of our rivers are going to be too warm to support brown trout, so we increasingly will lose that iconic species." The situation was "looking very grave," he said as the changing conditions were impacting life "all the way down the food chain". Water Minister, Emma Hardy MP, declined an interview, but told audiences that the government was committed to improving water quality and ensuring security of said: "We're looking to build new reservoirs. I've been round to visit some of them and see what's happening. And we want, by the end of this parliament, to have cut those sewage spills by half."CEO of Ofwat, David Black, also declined an interview. Water companies respond to criticism Water companies said they were increasing investment in reducing storm overflows, upgrading infrastructure and further habitat enhancement to help improve the health of our rivers but acknowledged that the dry spring was having an impact. The situation has drawn comparisons to the drought of 1992, when rivers like the Darent in Kent ran dry. Experts fear a repeat could be on the horizon.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The Bangladesh delta is under a dangerous level of strain, analysis reveals
Bangladesh is known as the land of rivers and flooding, despite almost all of its water originating outside the territory. The fact that 80% of rivers that flow through Bangladesh have their sources in a neighbouring country, can make access to freshwater in Bangladesh fraught. And the country's fast-growing cities and farms – and the warming global climate – are turning up the pressure. In a recent analysis, my colleagues and I found that four out of the ten rivers that flow through Bangladesh have failed to meet a set of conditions known as their 'safe operating space', meaning that the flow of water in these rivers is below the minimum necessary to sustain the social-ecological systems that rely on them. These rivers included the Ganges and Old Brahmaputra, as well as Gorai and Halda. This puts a safe and reliable food and water supply not to mention the livelihoods of millions of fishers, farmers and other people in the region, at risk. Water flow on the remaining six rivers may be close to a dangerous state too, due to the construction of hydropower dams and reservoirs, as well as booming irrigated agriculture. Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK's latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences. The concept of a safe operating space was devised by Stockholm University researchers in 2009 and typically assesses the Earth's health as a whole by defining boundaries such as climate warming, water use and biodiversity loss which become dangerous to humanity once exceeded. A 2023 update to this research found that six of the nine defined planetary boundaries have been transgressed. Since the Bangladesh delta is one of the world's largest and most densely populated (home to around 170 million people), we thought it prudent to apply this thinking to the rivers here. We found that food, fisheries and the world's largest intertidal mangrove forest, a haven for rich biodiversity, are all under strain from water demand in growing cities such as Dhaka. During all seasons but winter, river flows in the Bangladesh delta have fallen over the past three decades. Our analysis highlights the limits of existing political solutions. The ability of the Ganges river to support life and society is severely strained, despite the Ganges water sharing treaty between India and Bangladesh, which was signed in 1996. Rivers in Bangladesh have shaped the economy, environment and culture of South Asia since the dawn of human civilisation here. And humans are not the only species suffering. Hilsha (Tenualosa ilisha), related to the herring, is a fish popular for its flavour and delicate texture. It contributes 12% to national fish production in Bangladesh but has become extinct in the upper reaches of the Ganges due to the reduction of water flow. Excessive water extraction upstream, primarily through the Farakka barrage, a dam just over the border in the Indian state of West Bengal, has also raised the salinity of the Gorai river. A healthy river flow maintains a liveable balance of salt and freshwater. As river flows have been restricted, salinity has crept up, particularly in coastal regions that are also beset by sea level rise. This damages freshwater fisheries, farm yields and threatens a population of freshwater dolphins in the Ganges. Low river flows and increasing salinisation now threaten the destruction of the world's largest mangrove forest, the loss of which would disrupt the regional climate of Bangladesh, India and Nepal. It would also release a lot of stored carbon to the atmosphere, accelerating climate change and the melting of snow and ice in the Himalayan mountain chain. Solving this problem is no simple task. It will require cooperation across national boundaries and international support to ensure fair treaties capable of managing the rivers sustainably, restoring their associated ecosystems and maintaining river flows within their safe operating spaces. This is particularly challenging in the Bangladesh delta, which contains rivers that drain many countries, including China, India, Nepal and Pakistan. The political regimes in each country might oppose transboundary negotiations, which could nevertheless resolve conflict over water which is needed to sustain nearly 700 million people. There have been success stories, however. The Mekong river commission between Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam is a useful template for bilateral and multilateral treaties with India and Nepal for the Ganges, and China and Bhutan for the Jamuna river. Tax-based water sharing can help resolve conflicts and decide water allocation between countries in the river basin. The countries using more water would pay more tax and the revenue would be redistributed among the other countries who share rivers in the treaty. Additionally, water sharing should be based on the historical river flow disregarding existing infrastructure and projections of future changes. Reducing deforestation, alternating land use and restoring wetlands could enhance resilience to flooding and drought and ensure water security in the Bangladesh delta. Ultimately, to secure a safe operating space for the rivers here is to secure a safe future for society too. Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation's environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who've subscribed so far. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Md Sarwar Hossain does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
