A team of international researchers and educators created an educational framework called “River Literacy” to help communities better understand and protect their rivers. Inspired by the well-established framework of “Ocean Literacy,” this new approach highlights the vital roles rivers play in our daily lives, cultures, and ecosystems. Their study on this topic has just been published in the scientific journal Earth .
More than half of the world’s population lives close to rivers, and yet many people know surprisingly little about how rivers function or how human activity affects them. The world’s most international river, the Danube – stretching across 10 countries and collecting rain from 19 countries – has experienced floods, droughts, pollution, and dramatic losses of wetlands.
As a result, members of riverside communities have lost their daily and live connection to rivers. However, the river literacy framework can be helpful when trying to reconnect people with their waterways.
During the adaptation of the ocean literacy framework, the researchers have distilled the complex scientific knowledge available about rivers into seven easy-to-grasp principles designed for schools, riverside communities, and the general public:
The River Literacy framework has already been tested in classrooms and community programs across five Danube countries. Educational tools such as the Riversavers’ Handbook, playful workshops, and the mobile River Litter Lab exhibition have reached hundreds of students and teachers. A new Riversaver School Network now brings together schools working actively to protect their local waterways.
River Literacy is not just about learning facts. It also encourages hands-on water stewardship: from citizen science projects to river cleanup actions and “adopting” stretches of riverbanks. Participants might feel more motivated to protect rivers and less anxious about climate change, thanks to the beneficial effects of “blue therapy” and the sense of actively contributing to solutions.
“ Water exists in various forms in our bodies and all around us. More than half of the human body is composed of water, and we can survive only 3–4 days without it. Despite water being vital for humanity, we often treat it as if it were worthless. The River Literacy concept aims to change this attitude by educating people ,” emphasised last author Prof. Tímea Kiss (independent researcher, Hungary).
The project supports the United Nations’ sustainable development goals and the EU Mission “Restore Our Ocean and Waters”. By strengthening knowledge, cultural ties, and community engagement, River Literacy aims to inspire a new generation of “river-literate” citizens ready to tackle pollution, climate challenges, and water scarcity.
“ Our survival as a species is encoded into how we treat our waters. Being literate in fresh water issues is more important than ever. We hope that river literacy can transform how we understand and care for rivers just as ocean literacy changed the way people see the sea," noted first author Attila D. Molnár (Plastic Cup Initiative, Hungary).
This research was funded by the EU’s Erasmus programme under the projects “5 countries 1 river” (2020-1-HU01-KA201-078843) and “River Lit(t)eracy – Riversaver Schools” (2023-1-HU01-KA220-SCH-000166027). The river literacy framework was reviewed and teaching methodologies were tested and improved within the framework of the Danube Lighthouse project “DALIA” (101094070) and the Danube Interreg project “Aquatic Plastic” (DRP0200235).
VIDEOS:
Introduction of the Riversaver School Network (with subtitles):
https://youtu.be/LvViqEe8dHM?si=YFxhgAr9CT4BInke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u519IjqK4oo
Podcast episode on the topic of River Literacy: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4JRBFZ3H7C1MyQZGrJOnxT?si=nyFJkXrzSC-7aAuF3jUbXg
Earth
A Fresh Look at Freshwaters—River Literacy Principles for the Environmental Education of Riverside Communities Affected by Water Scarcity, Desertification and Transboundary River Pollution
27-Sep-2025