FBA secures major grant for the Riverfly citizen science programme
19 January, 2023
The Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) has recently developed and secured a £300,000 grant to develop the Riverfly Partnership nationally over the next three years.
The grant has been awarded by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and will enable the Riverfly Partnership to build upon its strengths and establish a sustainable strategy to meet the future needs of the national monitoring programme. The Riverfly Partnership is one of the largest citizen science projects in the world, monitoring river water quality using the standardised Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (RMI) method to check a key subset of riverflies within English rivers.
Specifically, the grant will fund the appointment of a new United Kingdom Development Manager and Riverfly Coordinator to:
Help meet the growing demand of RMI, improve resilience and grow the Riverfly citizen science volunteer network.
Enable the sustainable and strategic growth of the Riverfly Partnership and enable geographical expansion across the UK.
Engage more people in our local communities with blue and green spaces.
Expand the use of additional Riverfly methods such as Extended Riverfly (targeting more riverfly groups) and Urban Riverfly (considering more riverfly groups relevant to rivers in urban areas).
Establish connections between professional and citizen scientists to address UK data deficiencies and support environmental protection.
The two new roles will sit alongside the existing Riverfly Coordinator role which focuses on RMI, funded by the Environment Agency. Posts will be advertised in February with successful candidates expected to commence roles in March.
Louise Lavictoire, FBA Head of Science and Co-chair of the Riverfly Partnership said “This is an incredibly exciting time for Riverfly and freshwater citizen science. The grant from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation alongside existing funding will allow the partnership to realise its full potential and help meet the demand of communities who wish to take conservation action to protect freshwater ecosystems.”.
Steve Brooks, Co-chair of the Riverfly Partnership said “This grant will enable Riverfly to build upon its successes and support the geographical expansion and rollout of all Riverfly methods, including the Extended and Urban Riverfly schemes in England, Scotland and Wales. This will enable the Partnership to engage with a greater diversity of volunteers throughout the UK and ensure data is used for the protection and improvement of our precious rivers and streams”.
For more developments visit www.riverflies.org