International River Foundation


The International River Foundation, sometimes stylised as the International RiverFoundation, is an Australian environmental organisation focused on global river restoration and protection. It was co-founded in 2003 by Brisbane City Council, the Queensland Government, and the mining companies Thiess and BHP Mitsubishi Alliance.
WWW Official Site

Activities

International River Symposium

The International River Foundation hosts the International River Symposium conference annually in Brisbane, Australia. The event is intended to promote knowledge exchange among global river practitioners. The first International River Symposium was held in 1998 as part of the Brisbane Festival, prefiguring the founding of the International River Foundation.

Brisbane Declaration

The 10th International Riversymposium and International Environmental Flows Conference was held in September 2007 and attended by over 750 delegates from more than 50 countries. The event resulted in a consensus document known as the Brisbane Declaration and Global Action Agenda, which is considered a significant landmark in setting international goals for environmental flows in freshwater-dependent ecosystems among scientists and water management practitioners.

Thiess International River Prize

The International River Foundation awards the Thiess International River Prize for excellence in river restoration and management. The prize is presented from a slate of finalists during the annual International River Symposium. First presented in 1999 prior to the founding of the International River Foundation, the award is considered by some to be the most prestigious honor in the field of river restoration. The award comes with a cash prize of US$100,000 as of 2025.
YearRecipientPrinciple waterwayLocale
2025Friends of the Chicago RiverChicago RiverIllinois, United States
2021Africa Sand Dam FoundationThwake RiverKenya
2019James River AssociationJames RiverVirginia, United States
2017San Antonio River AuthoritySan Antonio RiverTexas, United States
2016Buffalo Niagara RiverkeeperNiagara RiverNew York, United States
2015Lake Eyre Basin PartnershipLake Eyre BasinAustralia
2014International Commission for the Protection of the RhineRiver RhineEurope
2012Willamette River InitiativeWillamette RiverOregon, United States
2011Charles River Watershed AssociationCharles RiverMassachusetts, United States
2010Environment Agency and Thames River Restoration TrustRiver ThamesUnited Kingdom
2009Lake Simcoe Region Conservation AuthorityLake SimcoeOntario, Canada
2008St. Johns River Water Management DistrictSt. Johns RiverFlorida, United States
2007International Commission for the Protection of the Danube RiverDanube RiverEurope
2006Foreign Affairs Office of Chengdu Municipal GovernmentSha RiverChina
2005Communaite de Communes du Val de DromeDrome RiverFrance
2004Siuslaw InstituteSiuslaw River BasinOregon, United States
2003Alexander River Restoration AdministrationNahal AlexanderIsrael
2002Mekong River CommissionMekong RiverSoutheast Asia
2001Blackwood Basin GroupBlackwood RiverAustralia
2000Grand River Conservation AuthorityGrand RiverOntario, Canada
1999Mersey Basin CampaignMersey BasinUnited Kingdom

Twinning

The International River Foundation's Twinning programme encourages peer-to-peer learning by creating partnerships between river advocacy organisations in different countries. For example, the River Thames was twinned with the Ganges River in 2013.