• World Rivers Day 2024 highlights the critical importance of rivers for ecosystems, biodiversity, human life, and the economy, while addressing global challenges like pollution and over-extraction
• The Ford Wildlife Foundation (FWF) supports vital river conservation efforts in South Africa, including research led by Dr Matthew Burnett and Professor Colleen  Downs on river health, fish populations, and sustainable inland fisheries
• FWF plays a pivotal role in enabling field-based conservation work, providing Ford Rangers to research teams and fostering education through support for postgraduate studies in ecosystem and wildlife conservation

PRETORIA, South Africa, 17 September 2024 – World Rivers Day, celebrated on Sunday, 22 September 2024, is a global event that underscores the importance of rivers and their conservation. Rivers are essential to ecosystems, biodiversity, human life, and economic activities. They provide fresh water which is vital for drinking, agriculture, industry, and energy, making them indispensable to life on Earth.

Despite their importance, rivers face numerous challenges, including pollution, over-extraction, damming, and industrialisation. These issues threaten the health of river ecosystems, and the species and people who depend on them. World Rivers Day raises awareness about these critical problems, encouraging collective action to protect and restore rivers.

The annual event also serves as a platform to educate the public on sustainable water management, promote conservation efforts, and advocate for stronger environmental policies. It celebrates the cultural, historical, and recreational values of rivers, emphasising their beauty and inspiration. Through activities such as river clean-ups to a community-led river interest group that adopt Citizen Science Tools, World Rivers Day fosters stewardship for these precious waterways, ensuring their vitality for future generations.

Ford Wildlife Foundation's Role in River Conservation

One of the notable river health projects supported by the Ford Wildlife Foundation (FWF) in South Africa is led by Dr Matthew Burnett, Principal Scientist at the Institute of Natural Resources and an Honorary Researcher with Professor Colleen  Downs, National Research Foundation SARChI Research Chair in Ecosystem Health and Biodiversity in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), School of Life Sciences, Pietermaritzburg campus. Dr Burnett, a freshwater ecologist, has been involved in freshwater ecological research for seven years, focusing on river connectivity, inland fisheries, river monitoring, fish telemetry, antibiotic-resistant microbes, and Environmental DNA (eDNA).

Dr Burnett’s work emphasises building capacity through education, helping people understand the value of freshwater ecosystems and their role in sustaining livelihoods. His focus is on the functional diversity of freshwater fishes, which provide essential ecosystem services to rural communities, and contributes to the broader water, energy, and food Nexus.

Dr Burnett is involved in several social and ecological fishery research projects. These initiatives evaluate the potential of inland fisheries in rivers and impoundments/dams, particularly regarding the conservation of iconic and threatened native fish species. His work also examines the impact of non-native species and explores ecotoxicology and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in key fishery species. In addition, Burnett has worked on river connectivity and restoration projects, employing fish telemetry techniques to monitor the efficacy of fishways, remove redundant in-stream structures, and restore fish populations following severe fish kill events.

Research and the Importance of Freshwater Ecosystems

Dr Burnett's team recently published a paper titled "If a Fish Comes Out of the River and Speaks, We Should Believe It: A South African Perspective on Fish Kills," which highlights the increasing frequency of fish die-offs because of pollution and poor water management. The study focused on a significant fish kill event on the Msunduzi River in 2019, which caused a 41 percent decline in fish abundance. The paper (found at https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.4359) underscores the challenges in response and legislative alignment in managing these ecological disasters. Despite South Africa's progressive environmental laws, current regulations have major challenges when preventing fish kills, which serve as indicators of broader environmental degradation. There needs more collaborative effort across multiple disciplines and national ministries.

Dr Burnett and co-authors of this paper call for better management, policy reforms, and stronger alignment between environmental laws to protect vulnerable ecosystems and prevent future fish kills. The proverb used in the title emphasises the urgency of addressing water resource issues before it’s too late for both aquatic life and human populations.

Highlighting the central role of water, Dr Burnett states: “Water is the golden thread that ties us all together. Without water, we will not survive. Our freshwater ecosystems can support us, but we need to look after them.” He says that the health of freshwater ecosystems, such as rivers and their inhabitants, provides crucial indicators of sustainability. Fish, macroinvertebrates, and migratory species offer valuable information on river health. A healthy river system can provide essential ecosystem services, including clean water, recreational activities, and sustainable fisheries.

Dr Burnett stresses that understanding how rivers function is critical to maximising these ecosystem services. The water we use passes through natural ecosystems, and without healthy river systems, we won’t have reliable access to clean water. We need to stop polluting these vital freshwater systems.

Supporting Research and Education

The research conducted by UKZN requires frequent field visits to rivers across South Africa, often involving off-road driving to reach remote research sites. The availability of Ford Rangers provided by FWF makes this possible. These vehicles allow the research team to conduct their work efficiently and have helped expand the team, primarily composed of postgraduates who are gaining essential field-based skills for freshwater conservation.

Lynda du Plessis, manager of the Ford Wildlife Foundation, comments: “The two UKZN projects supported by Ford Wildlife Foundation (FWF) are vital to FWF’s mission because they not only conduct essential research on various species to enhance conservation efforts but also provide educational opportunities for students pursuing MSc and PhD qualifications. By contributing to both academic growth and species conservation, FWF is making a meaningful, long-term impact on wildlife preservation and community well-being.”

For over 30 years, Ford South Africa has actively participated in wildlife and ecosystem conservation efforts in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. The Ford Wildlife Foundation was established in 2014, and currently supports 28 projects across South Africa and one project in Mozambique. This comprises 17 conservation projects, seven research projects and five environmental education projects. For more information on the Ford Wildlife Foundation and its supported conservation projects, please click here: https://www.ford.co.za/about-ford/wildlife-foundation/