Luke Massey
The River Plym Project
Communities at the heart of restoring the River Plym
The River Plym flows from Dartmoor, to Plymouth, and into the sea. By connecting with the people who live and work alongside the Plym, this project aims to encourage people to value and enjoy the nature on their doorstep, to create more space for wildlife and ultimately restore the river's health.
This project looks to understand how local communities currently engage with the River Plym. We will be working with communities along the catchment of the river - from businesses, to homeowners, community groups and informal networks who connect with the river. We will raise awareness of what is so special about the River Plym, the problems it faces, and how people can get involved to take positive action to improve the health of the river.
The River Plym Project is a partnership project between Barbican Theatre Plymouth, Devon Wildlife Trust, and Plymouth Sound National Marine Park. The project is kindly funded by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
Sam Rose
The history of the River Plym
The River Plym rises on the deep peatlands of Dartmoor and travels 15 miles through moors, dense temperate rainforests, and urban landscapes, spilling into the sea at Plymouth Sound. The river connects our most highly protected sites, both on land and in the sea, allowing wildlife to travel more easily between these important areas.
Through history, and despite more recent regulation, human activities have left a lasting impact on the river's health and its wonderful watery wildlife. For example, pollution has reduced water quality, and changes to the natural flow of the river has affected wildlife and the habitats it depends on for survival.
There is hope. The River Tamar, sister to the River Plym, has seen multiple projects and programmes to restore the river's health, and has received many special designations and flagship status.
How will communities be involved?
Barbican Theatre and the River Plym Project partners and will be running a range of community workshops, outreach projects and surveys over the next six months and would love to hear from any individuals or organisations who would like to get involved.
We want to explore the idea that the River Plym and its wildlife should be given a legal right to be protected from harm. Who can speak up for the river., when its unable to do so itself. This is where local communities who know and love the river, and understand its value to biodiversity, as well as the health and wellbeing of the people who visit the river, can provide community leadership and take positive action.
We need to give ‘control’ back to nature, while inspiring multiple generations to respect and care for the river.
We want to investigate:
- who is leading the way in the UK and Worldwide on river rights and how can we learn from them,
- what legal precedent is there for the full project to build from,
- where does water have the right to flow?
The project partners intend to plan and apply for funding for a multi year project as a consequence of this research, which will approach the idea of the River Plym as a citizen.
This project is adopting a radical approach to help restore the health of the River Plym and the wealth of wildlife it supports – it’s a truly exciting because communities will be at the heart of the solutions alongside exploring how we can give nature the rights they deserve to thrive and regenerate.
Get in touch
If you are an individual or organisations who would like to get involved with the project, please get in touch with the Barbican Theatre.
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