Riversymposium Which Aspires to Be a Leading Global Conference Focused Solely on Rivers
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INTERNATIONAL RiverFoundation International RiverFoundation Annual Report 2013/14 Reviving the world’s rivers SPREAD: Upper Drau, Austria Contents 04 06 08 About Us Chairman’s Riversympo- Report sium 10 14 17 Riverprize Twinning River Knowledge 18 20 22 River World Rivers Global Recovery Day Reach 24 26 27 Partners Corporate Financial Governance Summary 30 ACFID Code of Conduct SPREAD: Honghu Lake, China Our Vision About Us To become a truly global leader in supporting and fostering best practice river management and restoration, delivering The International RiverFoundation (IRF) is a not-for-profit organisation helping to revive the world’s rivers and the communities who depend on them. We do this through identifying, recognising, rewarding and applying superior economic, social and environmental returns. best practice river management and restoration world-wide. The IRF was established in Brisbane, Australia in April 2003, by a group of individuals and organisations passionate about sustainably managing rivers to achieve improved health, ecological, economic, and social outcomes. The IRF’s current Foundation Partners are Brisbane City, Thiess Pty Ltd, Albrecht Foundation and the Queensland Government. Our Foundation is best known for awarding the most prestigious global river management award – the Thiess International Riverprize. To date, 16 international prizes have been awarded to the most awe-inspiring examples of river and basin improvements across four continents. In addition to the global prize, 14 Australian Riverprizes have been awarded since 2001 and the second IRF European Riverprize was awarded in 2014. In addition to prizes, IRF establishes twinning projects between the winners and regions in need across the globe. This emphasis on knowledge exchange is now being enhanced through the International Riversymposium which aspires to be a leading global conference focused solely on rivers. Our work in developing countries is augmented by sponsoring river professionals from these regions to attend the International Riversymposium and through awarding the Ken Thiess Memorial Scholarship to applicants in developing countries. Our Goals • To identify, recognise and reward the exceptional efforts of organisations in river management and restoration. • To catalyse the replication of best practice river management practices in regions of need, promoting long- term relationships for sharing knowledge. • To raise awareness of environmental, economic, social and cultural river values and the importance of integrated river basin management. • To provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, experiences and knowledge on sustainable river management. • To support the corporate social responsibility of companies by facilitating actions and projects in sustainable river basin management. • To promote co-operative, long-term relationships on river management between developing and developed countries. • To help maximise the effectiveness of global action to protect and revive rivers by building partnerships and alliances with organisations seeking similar outcomes worldwide. • To provide tangible and measurable economic, social and environmental outcomes on behalf of our sponsors. 04 IRF Annual Report 2013/14 05 Chair’s Report CEO’s Report As the newly appointed IRF Chairman, I have pleasure in reflecting on the organisation’s performance over the past year with the fresh It has indeed been an exceptional year for the IRF. In taking on the International Riversymposium, we doubled our workload overnight eyes of an outsider. To me the Foundation performs a vital function in the array of global water organisations, in celebrating the best of and delivered an inspiring event with fewer staff than the previous year. Coinciding with the symposium we were pleased to release the best in river management and restoration. Whilst well known for awarding Riverprizes to deserving groups, IRF goes well beyond River Journeys 3, a delightful coffee table publication charting the evolution of our river prizes and twinning projects over 14 years and this role to transfer best practice into regions and localities around the world much in need of this expertise. And we have taken one across 35 countries, and demonstrating unimaginable benefits to winners and their twinning partners. further step forward in exchanging global knowledge and experience through delivering the International Riversymposium, where industry, scientists, communities and policy makers get together to inform and debate issues of the day. The launches of the first ever North American Riverprize, to be awarded in May 2015, and the New Zealand Riverprize, to be awarded at the Riversymposium in September 2015, highlight the popularity and importance of this recognition. We have also made substantial The governance of IRF continues to evolve, and I welcome Dr Deborah Nias and Dr Selina Ward as new IRF directors. Deborah is well strides in supporting the next generation of river professionals through the Emerging River Professional Award (sponsored by known to river managers as the Chair of the Australian Riverprize Judging Panel, a long time IRF ambassador, and CEO of the Murray OceanaGold and managed by IWC Alumni Network), by engaging 60 students in the Riversymposium, and encouraging Darling Wetlands Working Group Ltd. Selina is also well recognised as the former Program Coordinator for the International cross-generational dialogue through high school participation. Riversymposium for many years and a teacher and researcher at The University of Queensland. Both directors will bring passion and skills to guide the future of the organisation. I am also delighted to see the enduring commitment embodied in our diverse and highly Our River Recovery program has seen substantial benefits achieved in the Bremer River, with real on-ground action showing positive credentialed ongoing directors – Martin Albrecht, Michael Wright, Prof Bill Dennison, Peter Rowley and Philip Weller. ecosystem responses. Our project in the Philippines with OceanaGold has been taken to a new level, with a three year program supporting the holistic approach to river quality through active involvement from local communities and stakeholders. This year we are The past year was the first of our 2013-17 Business Plan. One of the early successes was the revitalisation of the Riversymposium pleased to be supporting two new Ken Thiess Memorial scholars to participate in the Master of Integrated Water Management with which was held in Canberra on the 15-18 September with the theme of ‘Large River Basins’. Our team worked hard with our partners co-funding from the Global Water Partnership and the International WaterCentre. to organise an outstanding program with no less than 21 keynote speakers and 10 special sessions, complemented by three absorbing plenary case studies of large rivers around the world. The event was wonderfully enhanced with art, film, literature and cultural Over the year we have put considerable effort into rebuilding our Sponsored Delegates program – an important initiative to assist river activities. The Riverprize Gala Dinner was a highlight of the social program. We look forward to an equally exciting professionals normally unable to access world leading knowledge at the International Riversymposium. In this regard we are delighted Riversymposium in Brisbane in September 2015. to have formed new relationships with the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research who have supported students, project managers and international leading thinkers to engage in An area of rapid growth has been the Riverprize program. IRF now supports six prizes annually, with the Thiess International, Australian the symposium. and European Riverprizes being complemented by the North American and New Zealand Riverprizes, both to be awarded for the first time in 2015. Additionally, the Emerging River Professional Award was awarded for the first time in 2014. Our ambition to build a We have enjoyed unprecedented success in our two major events this year. Most recent was the awarding of the European Riverprize regional river prize framework covering all inhabited continents is now well underway, with each regional winner qualifying as a at the spectacular Vienna City Hall during the European River Restoration Conference in Vienna in late October. Our thanks go to the contender for the Thiess International Riverprize the following year. European Centre for River Restoration, the City of Vienna, the International Association of Water Utilities of the Danube River Catch- ment and Coca-Cola Europe for making this such a magnificent event. The International Riversymposium was attended by nearly 500 2014 has also seen the revival of our Sponsored Delegates programs – providing life-changing opportunity for river professionals delegates, with 25% coming from 30 overseas countries. The Gala Dinner was a wonderful celebration, with exceptional prize winners from disadvantaged regions and sectors to participate in the Riversymposium. The 2014 Riversymposium also included an engaging – congratulations go to the River Rhine for taking out the Thiess International Riverprize, and Lake Eyre Basin for the Australian River- session on the indigenous management of waterways. These initiatives have been combined with a new focus to engage the next prize. A highlight for many was the three finalists for the Emerging River Professional Award, all international,