What do rivers mean to you?
For Hugo Costa, deep in the Amazon, the seasons of the Juruá River can define the food you eat, the journeys you travel, and the people you meet. For Yolarnie Amepou, looking over a vast river delta in Papua New Guinea, ten different cultures have been shaped by the same river which runs 400 kilometres from the highlands down into the sea. For Siziwe Mota, Africa’s rivers are a source of survival, relied upon for food, jobs, spiritual practices, climate, and biodiversity.
On 17 May, Synchronicity Earth held a conversation between these three freshwater conservationists about the importance of their rivers, the challenges they face in safeguarding them, and the opportunities there are to protect them.
“Rivers signify connectivity. No matter the distance, what happens at the top of the river impacts the bottom. Any blockage in the middle impacts this connection. No matter the diversity across the basin, the river represents connectivity and interdependence.”
Yolarnie Amepou
These connections are at the heart of understanding how to preserve freshwater biodiversity. Despite our three speakers representing three different continents, they each spoke to how their waters impacted every aspect of life and culture, and as a result, how intersectional their approaches to preserving their rivers must be.
The panel was introduced by Dr Ian Harrison, the freshwater specialist at Conservation International’s