A Meeting of Rivers in Cambridge
In late September 2024, grassroots activists representing rivers across the UK came together in the city of Cambridge. This event was the first of a series of workshops supported by an AHRC Curiosity Grant and the University of Southampton.
Just a few of the river groups represented were, Friends of the River Dart, The River Don Project, Love Our Ouse and, the hosts, The Friends of the River Cam.
The first day of the conference, the 19th September, was open to all interested members of the public, attracting local residents, students, and those whose work is beginning to venture toward the idea of rivers having rights.
The day began with introductory presentations by members of the organising team, Neil Williams and Jéremie Gilbert. Together, they have a comprehensive rundown of some key legal and philosophical tenets of the Rights of Nature and the history of the movement.
Jéremie narrowed the lens, talking about the river rights movement in particular. He described the momentum it is building within and beyond the UK, citing the 2024 Confluence of European Water Bodies as an example of cross-border collaborations and knowledge sharing.
Shortly after, representatives from the Friends of the River Cam gave a series of presentations on the state of their local river and the immense efforts that have been channelled towards its protection.
Terry Macalister spoke about the River Cam as a victim of unrestrained growth and neglect. Wendy Blyth then gave a presentation about what she calls ‘River Shadow Politics’ and Monica Bijok Hone turned our focus onto the existing legislation and issues of enforcement.
Tony Booth shared stories of direct action and emphasised the need to make the connection between local action and consciousness of climate injustice explicit. This message was reiterated as Tony led a collective reading of the ‘Declaration of the Rights of the River Cam’ at the start of a walk along the water course. Part of the declaration reads:
‘Acting in solidarity with communities across the earth:
We recognise that national and international laws are inadequate to protect rivers and so must act together to protect them and the rest of nature.
We are grateful to indigenous communities and people of all faiths and none, who have long held that nature has rights, and that the rights of rivers have a special significance. We pay tribute to the sacrifice that many have made and continue to make, endangering themselves in nature’s defence.’
The Declaration finishes with the words:
‘We pledge to act as guardians of the River Cam, we declare the rights of all rivers. We acknowledge especially the rights of the River Great Ouse, which the Cam meets at Ely and which carries the waters of the Cam to its estuary in the Wash.’
The walk finished at the Paradise Nature Reserve - a precious area of wet woodland surrounded by marsh and tucked behind a popular park called Lammas Land. The reserve is home to singing chiffchaffs, wrens and robins, and a whole host of rare insect life. Click here to learn more about the area and, if you find yourself in Cambridge, you could even take a look for yourself!
Many conversations at the event were linked to the highly publicised crisis of sewage in British waters. For good reason, this has captured the attention of citizens everywhere, becoming a staple feature on social media feeds and news reporting. Feargal Sharkey, former vocalist for the Undertones and lifelong campaigner, has harnessed the country’s collective concern and is preparing for a huge march in London on the 26th October. Many members of the grassroots groups represented at this event in Cambridge plan on being present and envision the march as an essential moment to galvanise the protection of our rivers far into the future.
For more information on the march, click here. We recommend watching the short video at the top of the site about the ongoing fight to save UK’s rivers. Increasingly, we are seeing the idea of ‘River Rights’ and the ‘Rights of Nature’ used in conversations about environmental protection. It’s great to see these principles diffusing through local communities and activists.
Our hope is that this march, and associated actions across the country in the coming weeks and months, can be a launchpad for meaningful conversations about what it would look like to recognise the rights of rivers in the context of the UK.
The next event in the ‘Meeting of the Rivers’ series is due to be held in the City of Sheffield. We look forward to hearing how that goes and thank all involved in the organisation and delivery of the project.
Writing by Lucy Gavaghan
