Summary
The Big River Watch invites people to take 15 minutes by the riverside and record what they see.
Launched by The Rivers Trust in 2023 with input and support from the CaSTCo partnership, this easy to use free mobile app includes a simple survey which guides would be citizen scientists through a series of questions about wildlife, plants, and their perceptions of the river’s health.
By asking questions about their feelings towards the river, the campaign also encourages participants to notice and deepen their connection to nature. So far, nearly 14,000 people have taken part in The Big River Watch.
The pictures in this case study have been submitted by Big River Watchers.
The context
When it comes to restoring our rivers, we need more information about how they are doing.
We also need more people to become interested and involved with monitoring stretches of rivers around the country and encourage greater uptake in monitoring river health. Spending time in nature and getting involved in something mindful and engaged, like citizen science, is also known to increase well-being, so we have also built in questions to prompt participants to build a deeper connection with the riverscapes they are surveying.
Who
- The Rivers Trust & The Rivers Trust Movement
- The nearly 14,000 (and counting) Big River Watchers
Social value
The Big River Watch is an easy and fun first step into citizen science, allowing anyone with a mobile phone to get involved. The campaign, which runs twice a year in Spring and Autumn, aims to:
- raise awareness of the issues faced by our rivers, and how citizen science can help
- raise awareness of how citizen science can also help our wellbeing
- encourage nature connection and a sense of guardianship over local blue spaces
- encourage people to connect with their local trust, through which they could take further positive action for rivers, such as volunteering, river blitz campaigns, etc.
Where
Nationwide in the UK and the Island of Ireland
Methods
Big River Watch is a custom-built mobile app that is free to download.
The app guides you through a set of simple questions to gather observations on wildlife, plants, river morphology and pollution.
The survey also prompts participants to become more mindful of their senses and feelings toward the stretch of the river they are watching.
7.8K
surveys submitted so far
145 days
spent river watching so far
48%
people new to citizen science during the last Big River Watch
Participants self select where and when they survey, and we see a wide variety of locations from urban rivers to wooded streams.
All data collected during Big River Watch is displayed in the dashboard and accessible year round on The Rivers Trust website.
As well as completing their survey, participants are encouraged to take pictures of what they see.
Pictures of wildlife are often sent in …
… and we also sadly see pictures of litter and pollution.
“Easy to fill out and caused me to spend longer at my local river on my walk or lunchbreak… as a result I just heard and saw a kingfisher for the first time ever on this stretch”
Kerry, Big River Watcher
“Just completed the Big River Watch on the lower Spey. It was super simple and quick to do, plus just spent 10 idyllic minutes listening to the sounds of nature and looking out for wildlife on the banks of my favourite river.”
Spey Catchment Initiative