CapeNature is currently in negotiations with the Tierkranz Trust which will see the Dwars River under formal protection through the establishment of a Protected Environment.

The Citarum River, in West Java, Indonesia, is heavily polluted by human activity; about five million people live in the basin of the river.

Every year on and around March 14, thousands of people take action for the world's rivers. Find out how you can make a difference.

Ahead of the opening of the COP17/CMP7 Conference on climate change in Durban on Monday 28 November, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Christiana Figueres, performed her first ‘official’ function at the launch of the Durban CEBA (Community Ecosystem-Based Adaptation) Initiative at Durban’s Paradise Valley at the weekend.

With floods causing havoc in several South African provinces earlier this year, it may be hard to believe that the looming water crisis that was debated in Parliament in 2008 remains an issue. Engineering Council of SA vice-president Thoko Majozi warns: 'the maximum consumption that SA's water resources can sustain will be reached in about five years'.

South Africa is the first country in the world to adopt water as a human right. A large group of Kayamandi residents gathered at the Kayamandi Economic and Tourism Centre on Human Right's Day to celebrate Water Week. They were entertained by the Department of Water Affairs' own personal choir and inspirational speakers who urged them to take ownership of the Eerste River. The Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi, could not make it to Kayamandi due to last minute plan changes.

This year's World Environment Day was one of the biggest, most widely celebrated, global days for positive, environmental action.

River systems have undergone more severe changes than any other ecosystem type in recent decades, primarily due to human activities. UNESCO's Third World Water Development Report predicts that nearly half of humanity will be living in areas of high water stress by 2030. In water scarce South Africa, the Endangered Wildlife Trust is addressing the problem through its Healthy Rivers Programme.

International Rivers is proud to announce our  new  22-minute movie on the movement to protect rivers and rights. It was made by an independent filmmaker from Mexico, and filmed mostly at the "Rivers for Life" meeting of activists that took place in Mexico in October.