A river in play
What if a river is so beloved that its protection becomes a challenge?
The Una River in Bosnia and Herzegovina is known for its emerald waters, its tufa cascades and tranquil pools where people find refreshment on warm summer days. It’s a river system that remains relatively natural, with its flow from headwaters to confluence with the Sava still uninterrupted by hydropower dams. It has all the reasons to be protected. Plans exist for a Wild River National Park, as well as for recognising Rights for the River.
Yet, this comes with challenges. What choices need to be made when a river is already surrounded by vibrant towns, tourism is developing, and the local economy is growing?
When do people’s actions impact the river ecosystem? Human actions involve diverse interests and create a complex socio-ecological system. To explore these dynamics, and to get a better feel for the interactions between people and rivers, Rosa set out to create a serious game as part of her master’s thesis.
A prototype was tested during Una Science Week, and the final version was launched during the Una Tour, organised by Riverwatch.
UNA was developed by Rosa Moosburger in collaboration with Gabriel Singer (University of Innsbruck) and Vera Knook (River Collective). The graphic design was done by Nico Parise (@un_zunzuncito) and the playing field was screen-printed by Sylvia Asen (@siebdruck_sue). The graphic design and printing were financed by Riverwatch, and many people contributed their ideas and input along the way, for which a huge thank you! And we were very happy that Masha became a driving force behind integrating the game into the Una Tour.
UNA goes global
UNA has already shown its potential as a stakeholder engagement tool, and as a fun way to explore how we shape the future of a river. But what if we can represent more rivers?
We’re now working on the next edition of the game: one where you can choose between different river ecosystems, each inspired by a real river somewhere in the world. One day, you might find yourself playing the Samaná, a jungle river in Colombia; the next, the Ötztaler Ache, an alpine river in Austria. Or perhaps it’s the Mekong in Thailand that gets you excited?
This global edition is currently in development with a team of River Collective members. We’re excited to explore how far this idea can go, and we’d love to have more people join us along the way!
Interested in being part of the team? Get in touch at info@rivercollective.org or send us a message on Instagram.
Buy the game
UNA is for sale in limited edition (more copies can be made if interest is high). The global game will likely be printed through crowdfunding! Interested? Please fill out the form below so we can gauge interest (no commitment yet, but very helpful!)
