Engagement

Learning about freshwater ecosystems through Modular River Survey (MoRPh)

The Modular River Survey, or MoRPh Rivers, was developed through work led by Queen Mary to enable citizen scientists and river groups to assess the physical condition of their local rivers and streams. The survey records features including sediment, vegetation, river-channel form, physical habitat and human pressures, helping participants understand how river environments respond to management and restoration. 

After training, volunteer surveyors can collect scientifically structured observations from their own local waterways and contribute them to a wider evidence base used to understand river condition. By 2024, more than 500 surveyors had been trained and more than 5,000 surveys completed across the UK and Ireland. 

MoRPh therefore combines community education with practical freshwater monitoring, giving participants the skills to recognise habitat condition, human pressures and the effects of restoration and management on river ecosystems. 

Learning from the River Chess 

Queen Mary’s ChessWatch project provides free educational resources that help schools, local communities and other learners understand the River Chess, a chalk stream in the Chilterns, and the pressures affecting its health. The project combines environmental monitoring with public education on water quality, water quantity and sustainable river management. 

Its educational resources introduce learners to chalk-stream ecology, groundwater, river flow, water abstraction, urbanisation, pollution and catchment management. Enquiry-based activities encourage students to investigate the challenges of managing water resources, assess threats to water quality and consider how a more sustainable future for the River Chess can be created. 

Four monitoring stations collect data on indicators including dissolved oxygen, turbidity, pH, electrical conductivity and water level. These data are available for A-level projects, STEM clubs and other educational activities, allowing learners to work with real environmental evidence while exploring how human activity affects freshwater ecosystems. 

BlueGreenE17

Through BlueGreenE17 – Paving the Way for a Wilder Walthamstow, Queen Mary works with residents and local organisations to explore how urban green and blue spaces can be understood, connected and improved. 

Blue spaces include rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands, while green spaces range from parks and woodlands to gardens, street trees and grass verges. The project invites local residents to contribute their knowledge and experiences through participatory mapping, surveys, workshops and public engagement, helping communities explore how waterways and other habitats support biodiversity and urban resilience. 

Queen Mary has worked with more than 20 organisations and community groups through the project, including Waltham Forest Council, London Wildlife Trust, Thames21, Thames Water and Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. This collaborative approach connects community knowledge with research on freshwater and urban ecosystems, helping participants understand the role of water bodies, wetlands and connected habitats in creating a more resilient urban environment. 

Engaging tourists in sea-turtle conservation

Queen Mary works with tourists, conservation organisations and tourism operators in Zakynthos, Greece, to promote more responsible wildlife tourism and reduce pressures on the island’s loggerhead sea turtles. 

Through the Zakynthos Turtles project, visitors can submit photographs of turtles they encounter and receive personalised information about the individual animal, including its behaviour, life history and the level of tourism pressure it experiences. This turns a wildlife-viewing encounter into an opportunity to learn about the effects of tourism on marine species and the importance of turtle-friendly behaviour.