In 1985, a dedicated group of volunteers united around a shared vision to develop a worldwide network to protect rivers and promote just and sustainable energy options. Today, that movement is still going strong. Join us in celebrating the communities and partners who oppose destructive hydropower, protect rivers, and advocate for the rights of rivers and riverine communities.
Since 1985, International Rivers has been at the heart of the global movement to ensure river-dependent communities’ voices are heard and their rights are respected.
Rivers are the arteries of the earth, supporting the highest rate of biodiversity compared to any other ecosystem and providing for the livelihoods of millions of local, indigenous and traditional peoples. Rivers are also under extreme threat, with less than 10% of the world’s river basins protected.
International Rivers strengthens movements of communities and civil society at the forefront of defending rivers by:
• Undertaking investigative research to generate robust data and evidence to inform policies and campaigns.
• Remaining independent and fearless in campaigning to expose and resist destructive projects.
• Developing a vision that protects rivers and the communities that depend upon them.
International Rivers’ analysis of challenges facing communities in Brazil offers innovative solutions for protecting nature and human rights. Version in Portuguese follows below. July 28, 2025, Brasília, Brazil–In the wake of Brazil’s Congress passing the “Devastation Bill,” which would dismantle critical components of the country’s National Environmental Policy and rollback decades of environmental safeguards protecting…
Read More
Deep in Brazil’s Amazon flows the vast Tapajós River basin—a network of sacred waterways that Indigenous peoples call the “River of Life.” This massive watershed, spanning 493.000 square kilometers across three states, includes the clearwater Tapajós River itself alongside major tributaries like the Teles Pires, Juruena, and Jamanxim rivers, plus the blackwater Arapiuns River, which…
Read More
