Words from Aimee Felus, Western Sussex Rivers Trust CEO
As I sit here sweltering at my desk, I know I am not the only one feeling uncomfortable, in body and mind. Having seen the National Emergency Briefing 3 times now, I feel the weight of the climate crisis even more than ever. This year has perhaps brought home to many of us the most tangible effects of the climate crisis in a way that it has not before. And how lucky we are if sweltering at our desks and a bit of sleep deprivation are the main problems we must cope with in extreme heat.
I have been thinking recently about my motivations for doing this work. Some people think that we do this work because we love cute and furry otters and beavers and want to see them back on our rivers. And they are correct, I do indeed love cute and furry otters and beavers and want to see them back on our rivers, as both a sign of healthy habitat and for their potential to help create one.
But thinking that this is my principal motivation is seriously missing the point. Here’s the real reason.
I deeply appreciate living in a nation which, whilst imperfect, is still a liberal, relatively privileged, democratic country. I feel my luck in the accident of being born here, and I am truly grateful for that. I love our country, and the people in it, and I want us to be able to weather the literal and figurative storms that we will face with our changed climate. And I know, both intellectually and instinctively, that it is an absolute truth that nature is vital to safeguard our future safety, prosperity and happiness. I want that for my kids, but I want it for our whole country too. Of course, I also care about the global perspective, and by following the mantra of ‘Think Global, Act Local’ we can do our little bit to influence the bigger picture.
The work that we do in protecting and restoring our rivers is not just relevant for you if you happen to love nature. If you are one of the humans who need to breathe clean air, drink clean water, eat food, and keep your body at roughly 37 degrees, you need to pay attention to the state of nature too. Nature provides us with a wealth of ecosystem services that we simply cannot do without. Healthy riverscapes purify our drinking water. They protect us from flooding and mitigate the impacts of drought. They can provide buffers from coastal flooding and storm surges. Well-functioning wetlands sequester carbon from the atmosphere more effectively than forests, locking it up and helping us to mitigate the effects of climate change as well as adapting to it. Rivers, ponds, lakes and wetlands cool the air around them, providing sanctuary from sweltering heat. Being close to nature has innumerable positive impacts on our physical and mental health. Nature is critical infrastructure, we need it to help us through the climate crisis, and there is no time to waste in restoring it.
And that’s another facet to the importance of our work. Rivers bounce back quickly. If you have dedicated your career to the restoration of forests, you will never see your work come to fruition. Meadow restoration? Maybe that’s your entire career. But with rivers, when we restore their natural processes, they can self-heal in a matter of months. And we need to heal nature now more than ever before, and quickly. This knowledge drives me on every day. Because I want my kids to see joy in their own children’s faces as they watch otters, lithe and graceful through the water, the surprise giving way to giggles as they are startled by a beaver’s tail slap. But more fundamental than that I want them to be safe, prosperous and happy, and I want this for everyone else too. And if we dedicate ourselves to helping nature, that’s what nature will give us in return.
