Risks Beyond Human Eyes
This pioneering six-month project brings together community members from across the River Tone catchment in the UK—from source to mouth—to explore systemic risk through the eyes, senses, and needs of otters, deers, earthworms, earthworms, salmon, and the river itself. Rather than starting from a human-centred view, this project experiments with more-than-human worldviews, creating new ways to understand risk, resilience, and future possibilities for bioregions.
This project is a collaboration between ASRA and the University West of England (UWE), delivered in collaboration with Friends of Longrun Meadow (at French Wier) and Somerset Wildlife Trust. It is funded by the Ecological Citizen(s) Network.
The project has three core aims:
- To build a prototype interactive platform that maps systemic risks facing a river as seen through the lives of five non-human animals—Red Deer, Otter, Earthworm, Kestrel, or Atlantic Salmon.
- To test the use of this tool with the project community and demonstrate how it supports community-led planning and governance through a more-than-human lens.
- To connect people across the River Tone catchment, helping to build a whole-of-river network of ecological citizens.
How it works
Starting in January 2026, the project will be delivered over six months through a series of participatory gatherings, bringing together 30 participants from across the catchment—from Elworthy to Burrowbridge, Luxhay to West Bagborough. Supported by facilitators, participants will “adopt” a non-human species—Red Deer, Otter, Earthworm, Kestrel, or Atlantic Salmon—and explore river risks through that species’ perspective.
- Interested in taking part? Register here
- Check out the project information and FAQ document here
- For questions, contact: Phil ptovey@asranetwork.org
This project advances ASRA’s mission by demonstrating how systemic risk assessment and response can move beyond human-centred models to centre the perspectives, dependencies, and vulnerabilities of more-than-human life. By working with and for species of River Tone, the project reveals how risks spread, offering deeper insight into resilience and cascading impacts. Through the co-creation of an open, modular tool, building on the progress of STEER: Systemic Tool to Explore and Evaluate Risk and UWE’s More-Than-Human Lens Toolkit, it contributes practical evidence for nature-centric approaches to systemic risk governance, providing a replicable model that other bioregions can adapt as they seek to design responses that support long-term stability, resilience, and multispecies flourishing.