Sustaining a river
I caught this article from an Australian website about caring for our water, it is a good read: International River Foundation CEO Matt Reddy says: “Both the Australian and the International Riverprizes do two important things; firstly, they provide a high level of peer recognition for many, often thankless years of work, and an opportunity […]
I caught this article from an Australian website about caring for our water, it is a good read:
International River Foundation CEO Matt Reddy says: “Both the Australian and the International Riverprizes do two important things; firstly, they provide a high level of peer recognition for many, often thankless years of work, and an opportunity to celebrate achievements, and secondly, winning marks a milestone for the recipients in their own river journey; often this means a rethink of the group objectives or a launch pad to new horizons.
“Winners’ feedback shows that whilst the financial aspect of the Riverprize is well received, it’s the opportunities that arise from winning that is valued the most,” Reddy says. He also notes some of the lessons learned through experience by the winners of the IRF Riverprizes hint at hurdles that many collaborative restoration projects have to leap. These include:
• The need for long-term commitment: It is unrealistic to expect major restoration outcomes in just a few years, when the damage has accumulated over decades or perhaps centuries;
• Strong and influential leadership is essential, as is sufficient (often large) funding;
• Acknowledging that individuals and local projects can be as helpful as large-scale institutional programs in achieving the objectives;
• Adaptability, flexibility and, most of all, open and honest collaboration, are vital. Unusual partnerships across various sectors of society may be necessary, and may prove crucial to success;
• Monitoring, recording and reporting data, assessment, and feedback along the way help refine the science and thinking behind the project. They also let the program team and stakeholders see what has been achieved, and learn from successes and mistakes;
• Shared information is a keystone of the work: knowledge is power in these endeavours, and those who seek to hold it to themselves (often governments unfortunately) unbalance and unhinge the collaborative process. With today’s internet resources, there is rarely a good excuse for not sharing data and information;
• Celebration of involvement and progress is very important and can stimulate more partnerships, efforts and long-term participation.
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