Yarra Riverkeeper Association

Yarra Riverkeeper Association’s (YRKA) purpose is for a healthy, protected and loved Yarra, Birrarung.

YRKA is the community voice for the river, advocating on key issues such as pollution, stormwater, biodiversity loss and the impacts of urban densification. We work with government, business, community and Traditional Owners to protect and restore river health. Our activities include litter clean-ups, revegetation, water quality investigations, education and awareness programs, and our annual Birrarung Riverfest, which celebrates community connection to the river. Through advocacy, science and storytelling, we inspire people to understand the river as a living entity and to act for its protection.

YRKA works alongside community groups, businesses, and individuals who want to take action for the river. We are seeking funding to build our capacity to respond to all interested parties. Funding will enable us to expand our advocacy, engagement, education and volunteering activities.

Funding will also progress our priority work on polystyrene pollution, identified through years of YRKA research as consistently the most littered macroplastic and a major threat to the health of the Yarra, Birrarung.

We want to develop an education campaign on the impact of stormwater, which flows directly into our waterways, and with climate change and urban densification, its growing volume and velocity are eroding riverbanks, increasing turbidity, and threatening wildlife.

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