Rivers have shaped our landscapes and our lives throughout the ages: they have a lot of stories to tell us and you will learn a lot just by sitting on their banks for a while to watch the water go by and get a feel for the surrounding area. But you will learn a lot more through attentive observations, investigations or measures.

The checklist that “Free your River” has developed will help you get to know your river and its environment : divided into five chapters that you may choose from or address all, depending on the time you can devote to the study of your river or the human resources available in your school, it will lead you to building a picture of your river : what its characteristics are , how it is used, how it relates to all the living creatures (man included) and your findings will help you devise ways of improving its qualities and enhancing its advantages. The objective is not necessarily to turn the river into an inaccessible sanctuary but to consider possible changes, including behavioural changes to make it a river free of a number of constraints.

We hope that you will enjoy your study and understand how complex environmental problems may be and what’s at stake for the future generations.