Q&A with Respect the River

Members of the Respect the River project making eco-bricks from waste they removed from the Malgas River.

Photo: Provided

On 14 March the world celebrates the International Day of Action for Rivers. This day is aimed at appreciating and creating awareness about the worlds rivers, a crucial resource for the world's survival.

Mankind is extremely dependant on river water for personal use, agriculture, manufacturing and nearly every aspect of our daily lives. Several ecosystems would cease to exist or become critically damaged should the river be polluted or interrupted by human activity.

We spoke to Branden Hair, chair of the Garden Route branch of the Botanical Society of South Africa, about their Respect the River project. Although this project is only a mere 10 months old, they have begun to make headway in protecting the ecological health of the Malgas river and plan to expand their conservation work to other rivers in the George area in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

The Garden Route branch of the Botanical Society of South Africa during a river cleanup. Photo: Provided

1. Why is it important to protect and respect rivers? What impact does it have on people and nature?

"What do all people need to survive? Water! If we pollute all our fresh water rivers we won’t have any more water to drink. Rivers are the lifeblood of the Earth and the amount of biodiversity that comes with a healthy riverine ecosystem is second to none.

We all play a part in the degradation of our rivers and so we all need to give back."

The Malgas River near George in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Photo: Provided

2. Do you think the people of South Africa respect our rivers? Why?

"No, any river you see in your local town or city is bound to have waste piling up, the only clean and pristine rivers are the ones that humans don’t have immediate access to.

"But it’s not just South Africans it is everyone all over the world and waste that travels down rivers is a huge polluter in our oceans."

3. Do you feel the South African government is doing enough to protect our rivers?

"The government has many projects that are dedicated to waste and invasive plant species removal such as the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and Working for Water. I feel the private sector needs to pull their weight as that is where the funds are to take these projects to the next level."

4. How and when did the Respect the River project start and why did you, a branch of the Botanical Society, feel the need to start the project?

"The Respect the River project has been going on for about 10 months now and we felt a shift needed to happen to allow change for better way of living for the future generations who will walk in our footsteps."

5. How far does this project stretch geographically and do you focus solely on rivers or other bodies of water as well?

"Currently we are focusing on a few different sites along the Malgas river but our long term goal is to clean all the rivers within George and then throughout the Garden Route."

6. What are the kinds of activities or events this project does to help rivers?

"Firstly we focus on waste removal which we turn into eco-bricks and for all the extra plastic bottles we can’t use we put it through a bottle cutter which can make about 15m of plastic rope per bottle, very useful for any kind of fence or washing line and we use it to tie eco-bricks together in the making of chairs.

"Once we have removed the waste from the river we can then access the invasive and local plant species. Once we have removed the invasive plant species we then move onto planting more indigenous trees and educating our community in the process.

"Our first BIG tree planting event will be on the 24th of April."

Community members participating in a Malgas river cleanup. Photo: Provided

7. Do you feel your project is making a difference?

"It has been such a remarkable transformation. We now walk down to the river and see almost no plastic at all! And not only on an ecosystem level but on a social level we have helped educate many of the local residents and inspired a passion within them to carry on making positive changes."

8. How have you experienced the support from your immediate community?

"Our community is the backbone of our project as we always have major support from the elders and especially all the kids who are always so excited to be at our monthly river clean-ups."

Children participating in a Malgas river cleanup. Photo: Provided

9. Can any member of the public join you in on your events?

"Anyone is very welcome to join our events, the more the merrier."

10. Are there other Botanical Society branches like you in the country involved in similar projects?

"Each branch has their own ongoing projects all dedicated to plant conservation."

11. What is your message for South Africans and really anyone on International Day of Action for Rivers?

"Healthy ecosystems host healthy humans."

12. What are the 5 key things people can do to help protect and respect rivers?

• Say no to single use plastic.

• Learn about your local fauna and flora.

• Be aware of products that are not eco-friendly.

• Be conscious about your impact on the Earth.

• Respecting the Earth will in turn help all ecosystems flourish.

13. How can people support your branch/society/cause?

"To become a Botanical society member would be a great start as the funds for the membership is used within the branches throughout South Africa, but of course hands on work at our events is also a big support and to know when our dates are you can follow our Instagram account @grbotsoc.