We’re Cycling the entire Danube River for Conservation
We’re Callum Armstrong and Anna Wentsch, co-founders of Conservation Amplified Charitable Trust. We’re cycling from the source of the Danube in Germany to its delta on the Black Sea - an expedition of around 3,000km over 10 weeks.
We set out to meet conservationists, explore restoration projects and discover what their work can teach us about helping nature recover. We did not expect our journey to coincide with a major European drought.
As we’ve travelled east, extreme heat and low rainfall have pushed parts of the Danube to record-low levels, resulting in power plant closures, wildfires, wilting crops, stranded ships, exposed riverbed, and more.
We’ve found ourselves documenting a river under pressure in real time - giving this expedition an urgency we could never have planned.
Alongside the impacts of drought, we’re also finding reasons for hope: people reconnecting floodplains, restoring wetlands, protecting wildlife and helping the Danube become more resilient.
What can one river teach us about restoring nature?
The Danube flows through the heart of Europe. It’s the world’s most international river, flowing through or along the borders of 10 countries.
Over centuries, it has been profoundly reshaped by cities, agriculture, navigation, dams and industry. But this isn’t only a story about what has been lost.
Across the river, there is incredible work being done to help nature and people to thrive together.
We’re travelling the river by bicycle to meet these people, experience the changing landscape ourselves and share what we discover.
A documentary in the making
As we travel along, we’re interviewing experts, getting into the field with restoration projects, and filming our journey.
After reaching the Black Sea, we’ll turn this material into a documentary exploring what is being done to restore the river - and what other countries, including New Zealand, can learn from it.
Help us finish & share this story
Cycling the river is only the beginning. The next step is to turn the interviews, footage and field reporting into a documentary that can reach people around the world.
Your donation will help us cover editing, captioning, post-production and distribution - giving the work of the conservationists we’ve met the audience it deserves.
Every contribution helps us create stories that make conservation more visible, understandable and possible to participate in.
About Conservation Amplified
Conservation Amplified exists to help make conservation mainstream. Because when people are aware, connected to the ecosystems around them and care enough to take positive action, only then will we see lasting change.
We share the people, ideas and actions helping nature recover - and help more people to see that conservation is something they can be part of. We’re here to raise awareness and encourage people to get involved.
Media enquiries
We’re available for interviews about the expedition, our experience of the condition of the Danube and the conservation work we’ve encountered.
Photos and footage can also be made available for agreed coverage, subject to appropriate attribution.
Media contact: Callum Armstrong / hello@conservationamplified.org