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What Does It Mean to Find the Voice of the River?

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Book cover Finding the Voice of the River

Abstract

Rivers have played a fundamental role in the development of human society. Despite their importance to societal wellbeing, rivers continue to be treated with disdain. Many rivers are in a perilous state. An era of river repair has begun, but it is not working in the manner or scale that is required. Drawing on Māori perspectives from Aotearoa New Zealand and other global visions of waterways, Finding the Voice of the River builds upon emerging approaches to river rights that express a more-than-human lens. Rather than managing a river to a particular norm, a culture and duty of care emphasizes concerns for reciprocity, coevolution and mutual interdependence, living with rivers as living entities. Such framings envisage harmonious relations to rivers, and each other.

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  1. School of Environment, University of Auckland, Auckland, Aotearoa, New Zealand

    Gary J. Brierley

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Brierley, G.J. (2020). What Does It Mean to Find the Voice of the River?. In: Finding the Voice of the River . Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27068-1_1

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