“Muddying the waters: recreational conflict and rights of use of British rivers”

Abstract

Rivers have historically been spaces of recreation, in addition to work, trade, and sustenance. Today, multiple groups (anglers, canoeists, rowers, swimmers) vie for the recreational use of rivers in Britain. But, this paper argues, legal definitions of rights of use have not kept up with the growth of recreational river use. Focusing on two groups, anglers and canoeists, it explores the emergence of conflict between recreational users of British rivers in the twentieth century, and subsequent campaigns for universal public rights of navigation on inland waterways. As a result of conflict (real and perceived), small-scale organized groups have re-conceptualized river spaces in ways that reflect a modern engagement with, and understanding of, water through recreation. This papers foregrounds recreation as a form of water-use that generates important water-knowledge. Grounded in the Environmental Humanities, it draws on notions of legal geographies, 'modern' waters, and hydrocommons to suggest that small-scale conflicts on British rivers are challenging how we use, govern, and conceptualize river water. Keywords Rivers Á Recreation Á Angling Á Canoeing Á Conflict Á Legal geographies Á Hydrocommons As I write, water streams down the windows of my office. There is a steady patter of rain falling on the street outside, washing away the autumn leaves. There are times in a British winter where everything seems infused with water, and that the very stones of the city could express moisture like a sponge at a touch. In this mild and wet climate, there is a seeming overabundance of H 2 O. Though at certain times of year water may seem almost omnipresent, here, as elsewhere, discourses of water scarcity are evident (Seckler et al.

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