Appreciating the natural world in ocean waters
Our Communications Manager, Liz Gyekye, writes a blog about her recent trip to Portugal, spotting dolphins in the Atlantic Ocean and the importance of connecting communities to their local waterways.
It’s good to get out of your four walls sometimes and explore the beauty of nature.
I was lucky to escape to a mini break to the Algarve in Portugal recently. This area is blessed with idyllic beaches, crystal-clear waters, fantastic weather and good grub.
I took a boat trip out to ocean waters (the Atlantic Ocean) whilst I was there. In what felt like the middle of nowhere, I saw dolphins. They are truly extraordinary creatures.
I must have spotted around eight or so. It’s fascinating how they move in synchronisation like Olympic swimmers and how playful they are.
In the middle of viewing this spectacle, I realised that this was the first time I had seen dolphins in their natural environment. Prior to that moment, I only ever viewed them in the zoo – Chessington to be precise.
It made me appreciate the work we do at Thames21 more. Thames21 is an environmental charity that works with communities to improve the River Thames and its tributaries. In essence, by helping to protect our local rivers we also protect our oceans.
It’s a shame to think that these dolphins could encounter plastic pollution on their journey. I hope they don’t.
Some studies show that around 80% of plastic pollution that reaches our oceans enter the environment from inland water systems and (predominantly) rivers .
Zooming out from the Atlantic Ocean and coming back to local issues, it is important to emphasise that London’s rivers can be beautiful spaces. However, they are more polluted than they should be. There are many reasons for this. They include untreated sewage released by water companies, plastic pollution, road run-off pollution and misconnected drains.
Water quality
Everybody knows that the watery quality and the health of rivers must improve. The water companies have rightly been condemned for allowing far too many sewage spills into rivers and regulators must up their game to hold them to account.
In relation to plastic pollution, a multi-stakeholder approach of action is called for. No single tool will fix this pervasive issue. Plastics manufacturers need to make their operations and processes more sustainable and reduce plastic waste. Policymakers need to turn the tables of the system and consumers need to come on board and be mindful.
Thames21 seeks to inspire, motivate and deliver not only immediate, but long-term improvement to waterways, engaging the community through practical participation and by engendering local sense of ownership and responsibility for waterway areas which will then link into opportunities for ongoing stewardship.
People feel connected to the power of rivers. Thames21 is able to reach out to communities and connect people across generations and cultural backgrounds.
When you get closer to nature, as we saw during the Covid pandemic, you better appreciate the power of nature. This is what I felt when seeing those dolphins in the Atlantic Ocean. It is so important that we all work together to keep all our blue spaces healthy to maintain a healthy ecosystem for the sake of wildlife and people. I said it once before, but it bears repeating – water is life!
Fancy helping us to improve your local waterway? Part of the local community. Come out of your four walls and help us to protect the River Thames and its tributaries. We can’t promise that you will see dolphins, but we can promise you that you will feel good about making a positive difference to your local environment which will create healthy habitats for wildlife.
Check out our ‘What’s On’ page and register for community events here: https://www.thames21.org.uk/events/