What will it take to revive our rivers?
Monday 6th December 2021, 7pm
Zoom details:
https://uofglasgow.zoom.us/j/6342250593?pwd=RXF2UDFlamtlMUpsVHZvQWkzdlp2Zz09
Meeting ID: 634 225 0593
Passcode: mahzoom
Speaker: Christine Colvin
Our rivers are indispensable – the arteries of healthy landscapes, connecting ecosystems, bringing us essential drinking water as well as forming natural places we love. But in many nations, including in the UK, they have been used as waste conveyor belts for so long, and receive the brunt of waste and water mismanagement in towns and on farms. We know our rivers are in a terrible state, and every time we lift the lid, we find more and more pollution. From micro-plastics to panty-liners, our rivers are awash with horror stories. What will it take to revive them and have we left it too late?
Christine Colvin spent most of her early years in Surrey. She headed to Africa as a geologist in the early ‘90s, and discovered her love for water in the Kalahari desert in Namibia, participating in a drought relief project. She worked in water research for many years in South Africa, particularly on the role of groundwater in sustainable development. 10 years with WWF in South Africa bought her focus towards catchments and protecting the headwaters of major river basins on which this water scarce country depends.
The mega-drought in Cape Town highlighted again the importance of underground water, plus communities’ relationship to water and their natural resources. Christine returned to the UK in 2020 just before lock-down, and is now with the Rivers Trust as their Director of Partnerships and Communications. The Rivers Trust supports catchment partnerships and local member trusts around the country to revive rivers, plus engages national government on important issues which influence the resilience of our rivers in our changing world.