WARSAW, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of Polish people took part in the European Big Jump 2018 event on Sunday afternoon, immersing or jumping into rivers and lakes to spread awareness about the need of freshwater ecosystems protection.
"The rivers will not defend themselves [...] We, the citizens, must defend them [...] Let us protect the rivers and their captivating beauty for us and future generations," said Jacek Bozek, coordinator of the BIG JUMP campaign in Poland.
This year's edition in Poland is to object the excessive channeling and concreting the banks of major Polish rivers, such as Wisla and Odra. All over the country, people jump, dive, wade, enjoy kayaking and swimming in streams, ponds, rivers and lakes.
Same day, all across Europe, tens of thousands of people jumped into rivers and lakes at the same time, demonstrating their commitment to protecting Europe's rivers and calling on politicians to protect them for the benefit of people and nature.
Founded by the European Rivers Network in 2002, the Big Jump is an event that aims to remind people of the freshwater ecosystems and encourage them to join the actions and efforts to protect and restore them. Since 2002, around 200,000 people have taken part in over 2,000 events in 34 countries.
