River conservation can be a unique and powerful tool for peacebuilding, particularly in regions with a history of conflict, like the island of Ireland.

As the All-Ireland Director of The Rivers Trust and Chief Executive of Ballinderry Rivers Trust, located in Northern Ireland, I’ve seen first-hand how our work goes beyond restoring, preserving and protecting our freshwater environment. It’s also about quietly uniting people, communities, cultures and all levels of politics to work toward a common goal with benefits for all.

For example, almost all of our projects require us to work across four political jurisdictions — Northern Ireland, Ireland, the UK, and the EU—proving that collaboration across borders and governments is not only possible but essential.

At The Rivers Trust, we work with 21 local Rivers Trusts across the island of Ireland. We are proud that our ongoing work demonstrates how shared stewardship of our freshwater environment can transcend political, social, educational, age, religious and cultural boundaries.

Through our own citizen-focused initiatives like Big River Watch and the iCatch Hub Network, we empower individuals and communities to take an interest in and responsibility for their local rivers while recognising the broader interconnected freshwater systems we all rely on.

By getting our feet wet and delivering on-the-ground interventions to prevent water pollution, we continue to demonstrate that protecting our shared waters can lead to lasting peace, prosperity, and community cohesion.

In the spirit of collaboration, we are enthusiastic about sharing what we have learned with the rest of the water conservation world so they, too, can see their rivers as places of peacebuilding.

So next week, on August 29th at 8am (UK/Ireland time), I’ll be speaking online to the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) World Water Week Conference to share how river conservation projects and initiatives have helped bring communities together in Northern Ireland, Ireland, and beyond. These projects are about more than just practical river conservation; they foster dialogue, build trust, and create working relationships and lasting bonds across divides.

The 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which marked the end of decades of violence and a move towards reconciliation on the island of Ireland, showed that peace is possible when people come together with a shared purpose. Now, we must apply that same spirit of cooperation to our environment. Protecting our rivers is crucial not just for nature but for our collective survival and flourishing society.

Through our work, we’ve learned that while political and geographic borders may divide us, the rivers that flow through our landscapes unite us. Let this shared connection inspire us to strive for a peaceful, sustainable future where our rivers continue to symbolise hope, unity, and reconciliation.

As we continue our efforts to restore and protect our freshwater systems, we hold onto a simple yet powerful truth: we all drink the same water!

If you want to hear more about Bridging Boundaries: Water for a Peaceful and Sustainable Future you can register for the World Water Week conference (online, for free!) here: https://www.worldwaterweek.org/tickets