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Before that , BRD
used kayaks as tools to enjoy rivers and develop relationships with them . After all , the inspiration behind the Slovenian NGO came from a love and respect for rivers , which prompted ex-Olympic rower-turned-whitewater kayaker , Rok Rozman , to start what became the biggest direct river conservation initiative in Europe .
Now , the BRD team is using kayaks as research vessels . Paired with their whitewater knowledge , kayaks provide access to spots scientists and nonwhitewater people can ’ t get to . Through BRD ’ s annual river conservation action – Balkan Rivers Tour – the team spent the last six years working to change the perception that hydropower is green energy while simultaneously challenging the approaches of modern nature conservation . But in the last two years , the organization has gone through a shift , taking a large step back from protests and activism and instead using their colourful boats to collect data . You see , a whitewater kayak can be a valuable research instrument , especially when paired with a competent paddler with a scientific background .
THE SAVA RIVER On June 1 , 2021 , a biologist , a hunter , a writer , and an engineer ( aka four whitewater kayakers ) pushed off shore and started an 11-day and 258 kilometres descent of the Sava River in Slovenia . From its dual sources , the paddlers split into two groups , one pair starting on the alpine lake , Lake Bohinj , and the other drifting from the crystal-clear azure underground source Zelenci , near the Italian border . The Sava River flows for almost 1000 kilometres , eventually joining the mighty Danube River in Belgrade , Serbia . But this research team would stop just before the border to Croatia . This Slovenian segment of the river is home to almost the whole BRD crew , but few have ever taken the chance to get to know it .
The Sava River
flows for almost 1000 kilometres , eventually joining the mighty Danube River in Belgrade , Serbia