Our rivers are in trouble, but there’s something that you can do to support the work being done restoring them. This week, you can join the movement fighting for our waterways and help us build a big picture of river health across the UK and Ireland by completing a short Big River Watch survey of your local river.
Anyone can join the Big River Watch by downloading the free, easy-to-use app and spending 15 minutes by their local river, answering the simple survey questions. The results will be made available on an interactive dashboard and will help drive action to improve rivers both on-the-ground and via campaigns and political advocacy.
- The Big River Watch returns from 6th to 12th September 2024, with the public asked to record observations of their local river using the free app
- The survey includes questions on river wildlife, signs of pollution, and health and wellbeing
- Results will be updated in near-real time on our interactive data dashboard
- More than 9,000 people have now taken part in the Big River Watch, 59% of those being new to citizen science.
The Big River Watch gives communities an easy opportunity to be part of protecting rivers and empowers people to develop a stronger relationship with their local river by signposting them to further activities such as volunteering with their local Rivers Trust if they like.
Emma Brisdion, Marketing Campaigns Lead at The Rivers Trust, said, “People across the UK and Ireland are becoming more and more interested in the health of their rivers, using their voices – and their votes – to show they care. With the Big River Watch, anyone can get involved in monitoring signs of pollution, spotting wildlife, and sharing their connection with their local river. This isn’t just important for us gathering data but is also empowering for people who are demanding better for our rivers.”
Getting involved is easy
- Download the free Big River Watch app, available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play.
- Visit your local river (or explore a new one) and spend 15 minutes observing and recording what you see in the simple in-app survey.
- Press upload and share your findings.
Whether you see wildlife or litter, you’ve got a week to complete a survey and send in your results.