The International River Foundation (IRF) is launching a series of online forums. RiverStreaming, a series of forums (RiverDialogues) and webinars (RiverTalks), will bring together experts to discuss a range of topics with a focus on impacts on the world’s rivers.
IRF Chairman, Prof. Paul F Greenfield says “Coronavirus has meant that we must do business differently, this means the events we would normally run to foster knowledge exchange, must now be run online”. The International River Foundation has been hit hard as their flagship event, International Riversymposium, was to be held in China in 2020. “We have had to pause any planning for Riversymposium 2020 in China for obvious reasons” said Prof. Greenfield. “However, we look forward to working together with our partners in China, as soon as practically possible.
The first event in IRF’s new RiverStreaming online event series is “Rivers on Fire”, being held on the 22nd of April. The event will bring together two renowned environmental experts to discuss how fire and climate change can impact waterways and their surrounding communities. IRF CEO Dr Eva Abal says that raising community awareness around the plights of our river systems during any sort of shock is important in combatting the effects and aiding recovery of these valuable resources.
Bradley Moggridge, is a Murri man from the Kamilaroi nation, Aboriginal water expert and PhD candidate at the University of Canberra. He will be discussing how we can learn from indigenous communities and the ways in which they have been managing fire for thousands of years across the Australian landscape.
Professor Fran Sheldon is Dean (Learning and Teaching) at Griffith University and a Research Member in the Australian Rivers Institute. She will be speaking about the impacts of fire and climate change on water quality. Prof Sheldon said adding so much ash and sediment into the rivers has turned them into the aquatic equivalent of “deserts”. “Most organisms can’t survive so they just disappear.”
“We are moving with the times”, said Prof. Greenfield. “Now, more than ever, organisations like ours need to do business in a different way to stay afloat and maintain momentum. Our online events and training academy (that will be launching later this month) are two ways in which we can ensure our longevity in these challenging and changing times.”
Tickets for the RiverTalk are available now and can be purchased here:
