River Renewal: Seven Stories Inspiring Hope

Mississippi River: Fixing Floodplains

The mighty Mississippi—“The Big Muddy”—has been a lifeline for people and wildlife for thousands of years. Stretching across 31 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces, the Mississippi watershed supplies clean water to nearly 20 million people and fuels a massive economy.

But this river has been squeezed, straightened and shackled by levees and dams, cutting it off from its natural floodplains. That’s bad news for water quality, wildlife and communities downstream.

That's why the focus is on floodplains—a key strategy in river conservation—and helping the river breathe again. With partners, we’re restoring wetlands and reconnecting floodplains to reduce flooding and filter pollution. Our Floodplain Prioritization Tool helps watershed communities pinpoint where nature can do the most good, so floodwaters spread out safely, water gets cleaner, and wildlife thrives.  And this system-wide focus on restoring healthy water could help shrink the Gulf’s infamous dead zone.

Okavango Delta: Keeping the Water Flowing and Wildlife Roaming

Imagine a river that ends in a desert—and creates a paradise. That’s the Okavango, whose headwaters originate in the highlands of Angola before spilling into Botswana’s Kalahari Desert, creating a lush inland delta that bursts with life. Every year, 2.5 trillion gallons of water flood this otherwise dry landscape, drawing elephants, lions, crocodiles, and hundreds of other species to the party.

But plans for dams and irrigation upstream could cut off this flow, threatening wildlife, clean water, and the people who depend on the Okavango’s waters.

TNC is working with governments and NGOs to keep the Okavango thriving. That means promoting solar power over big dams, supporting community-led conservation, and crafting long-term financing plans that respect the watershed’s complex politics and geography.

 The goal? Let the water flow, let the wildlife roam, let local communities prosper from improved livelihoods, and let the Okavango remain one of Earth’s most spectacular natural wonders. 

Mrežnica River: United for Rivers

The Mrežnica River is one of Croatia's most spectacular waterways. For its 40-mile course, the Mrežnica's clear waters cascade over a hundred waterfalls, attracting both locals and visitors. It also supports many fish species, including grayling, Danube barbel and brown trout.

The county assembly recently established a monument designation in the Mrežnica's upper course and a significant landscape designation in its middle course. The designation adds regulations that protect the river’s waterfalls, water quality and biodiversity while still allowing for sustainable recreation. These designations were the result of robust community engagement through the United for Rivers initiative—a coalition of NGOs working to protect 13 rivers across five Western Balkan countries.

"We affectionately refer to it as ‘a beauty,’ ‘a pearl,’ a truly unique and magical river," says Martina Furdek Hajdin, Karlovac County Prefect. "I believe that this is a significant step in our efforts to preserve the Mrežnica River for generations to come."

Amazon River Basin: Adapting to a New Climate

The Amazon river basin is a force of nature. Stretching across a basin nearly the size of Australia, it’s home to 2,700 fish species, 47 million people, and more than 400 Indigenous groups. 

But threats are mounting. Dams, mining, pollution, and deforestation are chipping away at this global treasure. And climate change is unpredictable patterns of flood and drought, stranding communities that use the Amazon and its tributaries as highways in a land with few roads.

To protect this enormous watershed, TNC is doing river conservation in a big way. With Indigenous partners, TNC is securing large-scale financing to protect forests, promote regenerative economies, and eliminate deforestation from soy and beef supply chains. 

Up and down the basin, these efforts work together to keep the Amazon wild, resilient, and thriving—for nature and for the people who call it home.

Colorado River: The West’s Iconic Lifeline

The Colorado River is one of the world’s hardest- working rivers. From the Rocky Mountains to Mexico’s Gulf of California, it quenches the thirst of 40 million people, supports 30 Tribal Nations and irrigates 5 million acres of farmland that provides important crops including winter vegetables for most of the United States.

But decades of drought, climate change, and heavy water use have pushed this river to the brink. Native fish are vanishing, and the river no longer reaches the sea.

TNC is helping turn the tide. Since 2008, TNC has teamed up with farmers to test water-saving crops, supported Tribal-led solutions, and restored flows to the Mexican Delta. One creative fix? Building structures that mimic beaver dams to boost water retention and improve river flows and fish and wildlife habitat. TNC is also working with farmers and ranchers to improve the design and operation of irrigation and water infrastructure to increase river flows.

It’s all part of a big-picture plan to keep the Colorado flowing—for nature and for people.

Murray-Darling River Basin: Innovations for Balancing Water Needs

Sprawling across southeastern Australia, the Murray-Darling is one of the world’s largest and most valuable river watersheds, supporting one-third of the country's agriculture. The basin is also the ancestral home of more than 40 First Nations communities, and the slow-moving Murray and Darling rivers—Australia's first and third longest—support an extraordinary diversity of plant and animal life.

Yet, like so many other large watersheds, the Murray-Darling faces mounting pressure from water diversions and climate change. Over 80% of the basin's river valleys are in poor or very poor health. In some years, droughts have led to mass fish deaths and ecosystem collapse.

Still, hope flows through innovation and partnership. In New South Wales, the vast Gayini property is owned and managed by its traditional custodians—the Nari Nari Tribal Council—who are restoring natural flooding cycles and practicing sustainable agriculture. Financial innovations like the Murray-Darling Basin Balanced Water Fund are helping secure water for farmers while protecting vital wetlands that otherwise might go dry.

Penobscot River: Breaking Down Barriers

The Penobscot River in Maine is a poster child for rivers getting a second chance, and an example of what can be done for more rivers in the Appalachians. Flowing through the heart of the state and draining an area the size of New Jersey, the Penobscot River has been sustaining Indigenous Peoples for some 12,000 years.

But since the late 1700s, dams, logging, and pollution have taken a toll on the river’s health. Dams prevent fish from reaching their spawning grounds, crashing populations of fish that rely on a river-to-sea connection, like herring, eels, sturgeon and Atlantic salmon.

But in the last 20 years, things have really started to turn around for the Penobscot River. The removal of the Great Works and Veazie dams, and a new fish lift at another site, reconnected thousands of miles of spawning habitat for native fish for the first time in 200 years. Millions more fish are traveling up the Penobscot now. 

All of this work—along with upgrading thousands of undersized culverts—is due to strong partnerships with the Penobscot Nation, many non-profit organizations, state and federal agencies, and local governments.