In 2011, Defra piloted the concept of catchment partnerships as a local mechanism to help deliver good water status and wider environmental benefits. Following the success of initial pilots, catchment partnerships were set up to cover all catchments in England. The partnerships are locally driven and the approaches taken therefore vary considerably, reflecting local differences in the environment and how it is used. A National Support Group (NSG) plays a key role in championing the catchment based approach across all key sectors and supports partnerships nationwide, by identifying gaps in knowledge sharing and resolving barriers to delivery.
Building on the work of the NSG, Eunomia are excited to announce we have been commissioned, as part of the EU LIFE funded Natural Course project, to work with catchment partnerships in the North West River Basin District (NWRD). This piece of work seeks to understand the specific challenges of partnerships in the North West, identify good practices, map out opportunities and identify training and capacity building needs. The focus will be on building capability to enhance confidence in delivering WFD outcomes by identifying opportunities to stretch or make the most of available funds by collaborating with other geographic scales to deliver multiple benefits.
The study will run from April-December 2020 and will provide:
- A better understanding of:
- Current and future challenges for Catchment Partnerships in the NWRBD.
- The capacity and
- The skills and knowledge held by all partnerships and how to make them more transferable.
- The development needs of the Catchment Partnerships across the NWRBD.
- A plan to deliver:
- Knowledge sharing and capacity building exercises for NWRBD Catchment Partnerships, targeted to their specific needs, that enables them to undertake work that delivers maximum benefits for the environment.
Findings from the work will be passed onto the CaBA National Support Group.
