Event recap: Walking Rivers 2026
This year’s edition of Walking Rivers consolidated its role as a transnational initiative, connecting people with rivers through walking, listening, and collective engagement. Coordinated by Wetlands International Europe together with CIREF and the Botín Foundation, the project continued to promote a simple but powerful idea where rivers are living systems to be experienced, not only ecosystems to be protected.
For this third edition, the initiative expanded to 26 countries, bringing together communities along 128 routes across 116 rivers. In total, more than 4,000 people participated in walks and activities, covering approximately 768 km of river landscapes. The 2026 edition confirmed the steady growth of a decentralised network of local actions, united by a shared focus on river awareness and care.
Spain remained the most active country, with 52 routes, followed by Mexico, India, South Africa, Italy, and Portugal. Together, these contributions highlight the diversity of contexts in which Walking Rivers is now embedded, from urban streams to rural and transboundary river systems.
Under this year’s theme, “Sounds of a River”, the 2026 edition placed particular emphasis on sensory and cultural engagement. River walks were often combined with artistic and participatory formats, including music sessions along the Fort River Watershed, a flute performance at Casa Pachamama in Italy, yoga activities with schoolchildren using water-inspired instruments, and storytelling workshops along the Torrente Pesa. In Mexico, curated soundscapes accompanied participants on their way to the river, reinforcing the experience as both environmental and cultural.
Overall, Walking Rivers reinforced the idea that rivers are shared spaces of ecological, cultural, and social connection. By linking 116 rivers across continents, the initiative continues to make visible the relationship between local action and global freshwater challenges, from biodiversity loss to water stress and climate impacts.
As Wetlands International Europe continues its work on freshwater ecosystems, Walking Rivers stands as a growing platform for collective engagement, where simple acts of walking and listening contribute to the discovery and broader understanding of rivers as living, interconnected systems.