Weathering the Storm: Freshwater scientists gather to reflect on the good in what was a challenging year
When it comes to weathering storms – we get through them best by coming together. We, the NZ Freshwater Sciences Society, the NZ Hydrological Society and the Rivers Group / Manatiaki Kōawa did so in Invercargill from the 1-4 December. We felt privileged to be able to come together and celebrate our collaboration across these three societies in this COVID world - all 370 of us (plus the 60 virtual attendees).
We met to report on and listen to the science done over the last year, but also to emphasise what needs to be done during the next 5 to 10 years. Water is the beginning of all life, and for us to be healthy people, our waters need to be healthy, too – Te Mana o Te Wai.
Our societies are getting better in recognising the importance of Mātauranga Māori and acknowledging the key role tangata whenua and other communities play in freshwater management. Overall, it is encouraging to see and hear about the diverse work we undertake to restore freshwater health, especially in urban streams and wetlands. Modern technologies such as drone imagery to assess stream health are also critical for effective freshwater management.
We invited three keynote speakers – Dr. Susie Wood (Cawthron Institute), Dr. Jenny Webster-Brown (Director of the National Science Challenge Our Land and Water) and Prof. Peter Wilcock (Utah State University) - to talk about their research. They challenged us to rethink certain aspects of the science system to help scientists contribute more constructively to the protection of our natural resources. But they also emphasised how robust, high-quality science is critical for solving the challenges we face in the freshwater space and in the wider world in the times of COVID. We left with inspiration to celebrate our successes more and to contemplate how we can communicate our science most effectively to wider audiences.
We now understand that what is important to the community is a key driver of what needs to be done to improve freshwater health. We look forward to working even more closely with the people of Aotearoa New Zealand.
The future looks bright if we can keep up this momentum and our societies will continue to work towards maintaining and improving the health of our freshwaters. We owe this to our communities and future generations to come.
For specific press enquiries, contact Kate McArthur (New Zealand Freshwater Sciences Society President; kate@kmwater.co.nz) or for further information see the conference website (https://www.nzhsrivers2020.co.nz/).