Friends of the Thames, in collaboration with FoTT's very own River Director, environmental barrister, rights of nature campaigner, and Guardian of the River Roding, Paul Powlesland (Lawyers for Nature), is proud to announce the launch of River Guardians Network — a pioneering project aimed at protecting, monitoring, and restoring the entire Thames river system. FoTT River Guardians Network builds on the amazing work of existing guardians and groups, expanding across the Thames catchment to fill in the gaps where protection is most needed. The goal is simple yet ambitious: to ensure that every stretch of the Thames and its tributaries has a dedicated guardian — an individual or community group — watching over it.This network of River Guardians will observe, report, and advocate for the health of the river, helping to create a coordinated, citizen-led movement for cleaner, safer waters.
Mission
Our First River Guardian Event
Across the world, existing environmental laws have proven insufficient to halt the degradation of ecosystems. Designed largely to regulate exploitation rather than protect life, these laws treat nature as property—an object to be used—rather than as a living community with its own rights. This failing system demands a radical rethinking: an attitudinal shift where nature itself is recognized as a rights-bearing entity.
