Rivers are our Earth’s arteries

They are lifelines for millions of people, animals and ecosystems –
and all of them ultimately lead to the ocean.

Our seas and oceans have no choice but to receive what rivers bring them. Ideally, this gift will include the sediments and nutrients that are vital for coastal ecosystems, biodiversity, and the basis of the ocean food chain. But  in our modern world it too often also includes toxins, heavy metals, raw sewage, plastic waste … whatever moving water picks up on its journey.

Which is why we are celebrating these brave River Warriors who dedicate themselves to restoring, protecting, recognising and defending our precious river systems.  

Riverkeeper
Swimmable, Fishable, Drinkable Hudson from Source to Sea
Watershed Investigations
Exposing the Water Crisis
RiverRecycle
Revolutionising River Clean-Ups
Riverine People
Youth-led Solutions
Fionn Ferreira
A Microplastic Waste Pioneer
Professor Anne Poelina
Championing River Relationships & Connections
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater
At the Helm of Positive Change
Food and Water Watch
Rally Against Radioactive Dumping
SANDRP
Ensuring Fair Flow
Te Toki Voyaging Trust
The Way of the Water
Millan Ruka
Reviving Riverways
Niwat Roykaew
Pioneering Mekong Protector
Fredericka Foster
Artistic Activist
Carri Leroy
Ecological Interactions
Bronx River Alliance
Reclaiming a River
Meridel Rubenstein
Marshes and Wetlands Resurgence
Stacy Levy
Sculpting Rivers
River Action UK
Advocacy in Action
Friends of the LA River (FOLAR)
Ensuring River Equity
The Litterboom Project
Closing the Circle
José Manuyama Ahuite
River Defender
Paul Powlesland
Lawyer for Nature
India River Forums
River Rejuvination
Hannelie Coetzee
Ecological Artistry
Rok Rozman
Whitewater Activist
Azzam Alwash
Pioneering River Protection
Tiffany Higgins
Community Collaborator
Mark Barrow
Filming Fresh Water
Eugeni Castejon
Acting Upstream
Mary Mattingly
Visualising Rivers
Yvette Tetteh
Swimming Against Synthetic Microfibers
Peter Hammond
Software sorts Sewage
Andreas Fath
Swimming and Science
Ruth Mathews
Dedicated to Flow
Sneha Shahi
Turning the Plastic Tide
Basia Irland
Art on Water
Bruce Mundagutta Shillingsworth
Cultural River Revival
Ulrich Eichelmann
Balkans Blue Heart Protector
Sungai Watch
Plastic Barriers
HÀ NỘI XANH
Community Clean-ups
Idaho Rivers United
Speaking up for Salmon
Verynile
Pyramids of Plastic
Li An Phoa
Drinkable Rivers
Frederick Mugira
Mapping Water Stories
Salman Khairalla
River Protector
Kelsey Leonard
Rights of Rivers

THESE ARE SOME OF INCREDIBLE WARRIORS LOOKING OUT FOR OUR RIVERS!

If their work inspires you, follow the links to connect. The more you celebrate them, the more support their work will get. Share this article using the #RiverWarriors hashtag. And finally, let us know if there is someone we should add to the list.