“I am the river, and the river is me”

Navigating the Baram river with the Penan community from Long Kerong, Sarawak. -Photo by TRCRC team.

EARTH is often referred to as a water planet, being that water makes up over 70% of the earth’s surface. Over millennia, rivers have been the defining feature of human settlements as a source of drinking water, food, irrigation, power and transport.

The natural state of rivers is extremely diverse habitats that provide refuge and resources to an astonishing amount of biodiversity. Today, most water bodies are no longer in their natural state as the intensification of agriculture and development continues to degrade our natural ecosystems. Historically, human settlements were shaped by proximity to rivers.