CaBA Compendium (min)

Best Practice Showcase for the

Catchment-Based Approach

In recent years it has been increasingly recognised that enhancing the delivery of ecosystem

services through better catchment management should not only be the responsibility of the

public sector, but also the private and third sectors.

Alongside this movement towards shared responsibility, there is also now a growing body of

evidence that far greater environmental improvements can be achieved if all of the groups

actively involved in regulation, land management, scientific research or wildlife conservation in

a catchment area are drawn together with landowners and other interest groups to form a

catchment management partnership.

In response to this increased understanding of the potential benefits of participatory

catchment planning, undertaken with local stakeholders and knowledge providers, in 2011,

Defra announced that the UK Government was committed to adopting a more ‘catchment‐

based approach’ to sharing information, working together and coordinating efforts to protect

England’s water environment.

Now in 2014, there are 109 newly formed Catchment-Based Approach partnerships covering

catchments across the whole of England and the cross-border areas of Wales and Scotland.

Westcountry Rivers Trust

Rain Charm House, Kyl Cober Parc, Stoke Climsland, Callington, Cornwall PL17 8PH

tel: 01579 372140; email: [email protected]; web: www.wrt.org.uk

This document may be reproduced with prior permission of the Westcountry Rivers Trust.

The copyright of all material remains with the originators unless otherwise stated.

Overview This Catchment-Based Approach collection of case studies has been created using funding from the

EU WaterLIFE Project to showcase all of the great work being undertaken by catchment partnerships

across the country. By sharing best practice we aim to avoid duplication of effort and to ensure that

CaBA Hosts can benefit from all of the lessons that have been learnt over the years by those engaged

in catchment management.

To make it easier to find information that is useful to you, we have divided the case studies into

four sections and classified the information into three types:

1

2

3

4

Engage catchment stakeholders &

build effective partnerships...

Use data & evidence to inform

stakeholder-led catchment planning...

Deliver targeted & integrated

catchment interventions...

Use monitoring & modelling

to measure improvements...

Tools & approaches

Help & guidance

Case Studies

Image: River Teign by Nick Paling

An integrated stakeholder-driven assessment of a catchment will enable us to

develop a comprehensive understanding of the challenges we face and, following

this, to develop a strategic, targeted, balanced and therefore cost-effective

catchment management intervention plan.

To achieve this we need to engage with catchment stakeholders and build diverse,

engaged and empowered catchment partnerships comprised of environmental

practitioners, businesses, community groups and interested members of the public.

Once brought together, these partnerships can work to develop a shared

understanding of the issues in their catchment, to build a consensus about what

actions need to be delivered and to agree on their shared vision for their catchment

in the future.

1 Engage catchment stakeholders &

build effective partnerships...

1

Image: Working on-farm in Devon by Nick Paling

Engage catchment stakeholders

& build effective partnerships...

Blueprint for Water & Save Our Waters

Blueprint for Water members led by WWF

The Blueprint for Water (BfW), first launched in

2006, is a broad coalition of 16 likeminded

environmental, water efficiency and fisheries

organisations, brought together by the Wildlife

and Countryside Link and all with a bold plan: to

revolutionise the way water is managed in England

for the benefit of people and wildlife. Together

with the members and supporters of its constituent

groups, BfW forms a dedicated movement of over

six million people.

All of BfW members are passionate about the

health of our rivers, beaches, ponds, estuaries and

other wild places. All are working to understand

the problems facing our water environments and

to develop solutions to those problems. They

collaborate with Government, water companies,

regulators, scientists and other civil society groups

to provide sound, evidence-based policy advice.

The previous work of BfW has included the

publication of two Blueprints for Water, in 2006

and 2010, which have described the steps needed

to achieve a sustainable water environment.

However, progress has been slow, and more action

is needed. In 2015, a revised Blueprint for Water

will be launched, based on their five main goals:

use water wisely, protect and restore wildlife,

manage floods, stop pollution and join up water

management.

In 2014, BfW has also launched an online

campaign called Save Our Waters, which allows

individuals and groups to easily respond to the

current River Basin Management Plan consultation.

The site offers users the option of completing

either a short or longer questionnaire (depending

on levels of technical knowledge and time

capacity) that have been designed in collaboration

with the Environment Agency.

Anyone (individuals, organisations) can visit the

site and complete the questionnaire. The site

provides background detail about the River Basin

Management Plans to ensure it is as accessible as

possible. Once complete, the response is sent to

the Environment Agency. The site is designed for

everyone to use. No prior knowledge about River

Basin Management Plans is required.

www.saveourwaters.org.uk



The Catchment-Based Approach Website

National Catchment Support Group led by The Rivers Trust

The Catchment-Based Approach (CaBA) Support

Team is comprised of representatives of some of

the environmental Non-Government Organisations

who have been most active in river catchment

management over recent years, and who have

developed a package of support to sit alongside

the local Catchment Partnership Fund grants.

The CaBA Support Team organise conferences,

workshops and run the website, forum and

newsletters to keep CaBA partnerships informed

about best-practice, case-studies and training

which is available to support their work under the

Catchment-Based Approach.

CaBA Film - youtu.be/mtEz4ZMPGP8

The CaBA National Website is designed to fulfil

three main objectives: 1) to act as a showcase of

best practice and case studies in catchment

partnership working; 2) to provide catchment

partnerships with somewhere to communicate the

work they have done, and 3) to provide an online

community forum where members of the CaBA

Community from across the country can meet and

exchange expertise, experiences and lessons learnt.

www.catchmentbasedapproach.org



Towards Hydrocitizenship

Arts and Humanities Research Council Connected Communities Project

Water is a fundamental resource for society, and at

present a range of challenging water issues face

communities in the UK and internationally. These

include concerns over flooding, sea level rise,

climate change, drought and supply security, water

quality, biodiversity and landscape quality, access

for recreation, water and energy (e.g. fracking),

effective urban drainage, and waste management.

Towards Hydrocitizenship joins a growing body of

academic and policy initiatives which seek to

address local hydrospheres (interconnected water

flows and exchanges) holistically, in ways which

address these interdependent issues on catchment

and systems based scales.

This approach is an adapted version of participant

action research. The project teams will spend time

exploring water issues and resources in the round

in a selected area, and social issues, and seek to

develop projects with relevant individuals, groups

and communities. The projects will be arts based

(e.g. film, story-telling, oral history, site specific

performance, guided walks) (but can incorporate

scientific data) and will seek to generate ‘win-win’

synergies across eco-social challenges with water

as a key focus. The work will explore connections

within communities and between communities –

those connections ranging between harmonious

and conflictual, and latent or extant, human and

non-human.

Funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council

this project brings together teams from arts,

academic, governance, SME and third sector

communities to work with local communities on a

range of water based eco-social issues.

For more information contact Prof. Owain Jones at

Bath Spa University. Email: [email protected]

www.hydrocitizenship.com



Downstreams CIC

Simon Redding & Anthony Parsons

Downstreams is a non-profit social enterprise that

uses an online platform to help to build

connections between communities along a river.

Downstream communities can be affected by

floods, environmental pollution and biodiversity

issues from their river. Upstream communities are

often the source of these issues, but do not have

the capability to create change and improve the

situation.

Downstreams' aim is to alleviate these problems by

joining individuals and businesses along the river

together both socially and financially - to look after

their river and protect themselves, just as they are

joined together by the water that passes them by.

Downstreams relies on the provision of open data

about geography as well as information about risks

and impact to communities from flooding,

biodiversity loss, pollution and about projects that

might partially mitigate them.

Downstreams take a joined up view of the

ecosystems around a river, taking nature concerns

and flood resilience concerns together when trying

to find the best solutions. It's clear to them that the

best solutions do not come from professionals

who are a long way from the catchment, but from

people who live in the area and know the local

environment.

Their role is not to deliver solutions, but to explain

problems associated with the river in an area and

elicit solutions that contribute towards solving

these problems. They specifically look for solutions

that can prevent the problem rather than

mitigating impacts.

Downstreams are a national organisation who

facilitate action in local catchments. As such, they

are interested in making contact with local

organisations and community initiatives that would

like to work together - on specific schemes or on a

catchment-wide basis.

www.downstreams.org

@downstreamsCIC



South West Catchment Information Gateway


The South West Catchment Information Gateway

aims to provide up-to-date information and

resources relating to all aspects of catchment

management and catchment partnership working

in the South West of England.

The site is designed for Catchment Partnership

Hosts to engage and communicate with

environmental professionals, community groups

and interested individuals from across their

catchments.

The site has information pages for each of the

catchments, summaries about all of the

environmental projects underway across the

region, a Q&A for catchment partners and all of

the latest news from across the South West

Catchment Partnerships.

Anyone who wants to get involved in one of the

South West’s nine catchment partnerships can use

the site to make contact with the catchment hosts

or they can simply use it to keep up-to-date with

all of the latest activity in each of the catchments.

www.swcatchments.info



Ribble Life

Ribble Rivers Trust & the Ribble Catchment Partnership

Ribble Life is a DEFRA funded pilot scheme aimed

at exploring better ways to engage with people

and organisations to help improve the water

environment at a local catchment level. It is part of

a new catchment-based approach to river basin

management to help deliver the EU Water

Framework Directive (WFD).

The Ribble Rivers Trust is working in partnership

with the Environment Agency to support the

delivery of a holistic approach to catchment

management, including the sustainable use of the

catchment’s rivers, as well as the habitats and

species they support.

The high quality of the Ribble catchment’s water

resources gives it great value – as a habitat for

wildlife, for drinking water, as a recreational

environment, as a basis for tourism and salmon

fishing, and as a central asset underpinning the

local economy.

Ribble Life involves coordinating the efforts of

local stakeholders (incl. local communities, farmers,

public sector organisations and businesses) in the

common aim of restoring habitat and water quality

throughout the Ribble catchment.

The development and implementation of the

Ribble Catchment Management Plan is central to

the project. The Ribble catchment Action Plan will

be launched by December 2012 and will be

developed to guide the management of the

catchment’s water environment in a joined up way.

Ribble Life objectives

To ensure that improvements to rivers in the

Ribble catchment support a healthy local

economy

To share information and communicate

effectively across the Ribble catchment

To work together to maintain and improve the

biodiversity of the Ribble catchment

To reduce pollution and improve the quality of

water in the Ribble catchment

To enhance the amenity value of the Ribble

catchment.

www.ribblelife.org

Image: Ribble Rivers Trust



The Saving Eden Coalition

Eden Rivers Trust & the Eden Catchment Partnership

The Eden catchment and its rivers and lakes, like

many others in the UK are under threat. These

threats come from all of society and the demands

we place on our natural resources. Development,

agriculture, sewage, invasive species and

sometimes just neglect and ignorance have all

taken their toll. We all want healthy rivers and

lakes, they provide us with clean drinking water,

recreational opportunities, high quality wildlife

habitats and flood protection, but none of us can

achieve this on our own.

We now urgently need to work together to

safeguard the future of the Eden’s rivers and lakes

which is why the Saving Eden Coalition has been

formed. By bringing people together in a

partnership the Coalition aims to get better co-

ordination, communication, shared objectives,

targets and accountability in place to ensure we

are all doing the best we can to drive better and

faster outcomes for the Eden catchment.

Hosted by Eden Rivers Trust, the Saving Eden

Coalition is an organisational partnership. It is

open to representatives from the key audiences

who influence and affect the River Eden Catchment

and its rivers and lakes. These audiences are:

Farmers & Land Managers; Communities;

Politicians and Planners; and Investors.

www.savetheeden.org

Image: Icy Eden by See Like Click (Flickr CC 2.0)



Love Your River Coventry

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust

Love Your River Coventry is a pilot project run by

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and funded through

the Environment Agency MURCI (Midlands Urban

Rivers and Communities Initiative) Programme that

addresses urban diffuse pollution.

The pilot is focused on raising awareness about

misconnected appliances in people’s homes, which

send polluted water straight into local rivers and

streams.

The project encompasses a public awareness

campaign and a free 10-point plan leaflet making

it simple for anyone to help check for

misconnections on their property as well as taking

other easy steps to address pollution in the urban

environment.

The Project Team worked with schools, colleges,

volunteers and local partners to raise awareness of

the day-to-day impact on our rivers and running

practical sessions to improve our rivers too –

taking out trolleys, bikes, bins, plasterboard and all

manner of other potentially polluting items. We

also produced a comprehensive report on the state

of all of the brooks and rivers in Coventry to help

guide future work to improve those water courses

for wildlife. This report highlights some exciting

projects the Trust is exploring in more detail with

the Environment Agency to help reduce the impact

of dirty surface water from some of the city’s

roads.

www.warwickshirewildlifetrust.org.uk

/love-your-river

Image: River Sowe by Amanda Slater (Flickr CC 2.0)



Rate My View

South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Rate my View has been developed by the South

Devon AONB in partnership with Plymouth

University as part of the Cordiale project. It is

designed to gather pictures and feedback from

people as they photograph the protected

landscape.

The app, which is free, and available on both Apple

and Android platforms, automatically uploads

pictures taken on smartphones or tablets to the

Rate my View website. It uses GPS technology to

pinpoint the users location and make sure they are

in or near the AONB area, even detecting the

direction the person is facing.

Users then rate their view by giving it between 0

and 5 stars; and submit words or short phrases that

sum up their view. This could include landscape

features “network of Devon hedgebanks”, qualities

“tranquil”, feelings “inspiring”, events “battered by

waves” and much more.

Roger English, Project Officer at South Devon

AONB, said: “The app’s simple nature enables a

participative approach to collecting, sharing and

understanding a range of public perceptions of local

landscapes in and around the South Devon

AONB. We’re hoping that over time it will enable us

to build up a picture of how the AONB is perceived.”

Dr John Martin, of the University’s School of

Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences,

said: “The app helps to burrow into public

perceptions, finding out what people really think

about the area’s coast, estuaries, countryside and

villages. Over time, with the changing of the

seasons, and as change takes take effect it will

enable us to better understand how we view our

landscapes and discover what we particularly

value.”

The South Devon AONB is one of 46 AONBs in the

country, and stretches from Brixham to Wembury,

and includes towns such as Kingsbridge,

Dartmouth, Salcombe and Modbury in addition to

the spectacular coastline, estuaries and farmed

countryside.

www.ratemyview.co.uk



Love the Lea

Thames 21

The rivers in East London’s Lea Valley are amongst

the most polluted in Britain. The Lea, Salmons

Brook, the Pymmes Brook, Turkey Brook, the Rivers

Ching and Moselle and the Stonebridge Brook are

being damaged by sewage, household chemicals

and oil on a daily basis.

Thames21’s ‘Love the Lea’ campaign is proposing

three key solutions that will improve the health of

the Lower Lea’s rivers into the future. The first

focuses on the development of a comprehensive

network of natural drainage systems in parks, next

to roads, blocks of flats and at all new

developments. These will cut the amount of

rainwater that enters sewers and thereby reducing

sewage overflows to rivers.

Countless homes are misconnected with pipes

from showers, dishwashers, washing machines and

toilets incorrectly plumbed into the surface water

sewer, instead of the foul sewer for treatment. The

campaign is crucially raising awareness of the issue

amongst local people, something which is missing

from many efforts to tackle misconnections.

Engagement with local communities has found

that people simply don’t know what a

misconnection is, and most are horrified if they

discover they are polluting their local stream.

‘Love the Lea’ is also encouraging London’s local

authorities to do more to improve the health of

rivers. At present, too few people know that what

goes down the drain can end up in a river if the

system isn’t working properly, and councils are well

placed to help spread this message.

Natural Drainage systems can help to cut the

chemicals that get washed into rivers from roads,

such as oil, fuel and metals, when it rains. Roadside

verges can be turned into green filters for storm

water whilst car park bays can be turned into rain

gardens.

The Love the Lea campaign is engaging widely

across communities, embracing too local councils

and other key stakeholders. A poster, online

pledge and Facebook page all help to spread the

message.

www.thames21.org.uk/love-the-lea



Our River Wear

Wear Rivers Trust, Durham Wildlife Trust, Groundwork NE & Durham County Council

The Lower Wear pilot (through a collaboration

between the EA and Durham University) undertook

a study to evaluate different approaches to engage

local stakeholders and to develop an

understanding of their priorities for the catchment

the values people derive from it and the barriers

they perceived to enjoying the river environment

and becoming involved in its management.

Following this pilot, the partnership wrote a joint

plan for working together for a healthier river

Wear. The plan focuses on the lower part of the

river and its tributaries. It is the product of a

unique initiative to bring together people,

communities and organisations that all have a

connection with the river and care about its future.

It has been made possible through the formation

of a partnership of passionate and enthusiastic

people who have developed this plan and a vision

to work towards: "By 2020 Durham's rivers will run

clear, teeming with wildlife and enjoyed by all."

Our River Wear is an educational and engaging

website that urges people to value and enjoy the

River Wear and everything it has to offer.

www.ourriverwear.org.uk

Image: River Wear by Mr Gareth M (Flickr CC 2.0)



Thames River Watch

Thames 21

A three year project delivered by Thames 21, this

citizen science project seeks to engage community

groups, individuals, schools and riverside

businesses along the tidal Thames from

Teddington to the Thames Estuary.

The project aims to raise awareness of the

environmental issues that the river faces and

enable people to provide pro-active support and

involvement in improving the health of the tidal

Thames. This project supports the Your Tidal

Thames project which is part of the Catchment

Based Approach to delivering the Water

Framework Directive through active engagement

of the local community.

The health of the tidal Thames is widely

misunderstood. Some people see it as a ‘dirty old

river’ – dead, polluted and to be ignored as much

as possible. This perception is hard to overcome

when floating litter persists and raw sewage flows

into the water during heavy rain events. Some

believe that the estuary is dirty because it’s brown

instead of blue. However other people see the tidal

Thames as a system that has fully recovered over

the last 40 years and is now clean, an idea

reinforced by media reports when the Thames won

the International Theiss River Prize in 2010. The

reality is somewhere in between. Thames River

Watch seeks to tackle the challenge of helping

Londoners better understand the tidal Thames.

Thames River Watch started in July 2013 when the

initial focus was on developing the monitoring

protocols and online data management system. In

the remainder of 2013 work turned to developing

the project brand and publicity materials, training

sessions for volunteers and working with pilot

groups to test and refine the delivery approach of

the project. Early in 2014 the Thames River Watch

project formally launched and began engaging

Londoners in monitoring and understanding the

health of the tidal Thames.

www.thames21.org.uk/thames-river-

watch

Image: Thames Mud by Leon Brocard (Flickr CC 2.0)



Integrated Local Delivery (ILD) Framework

FWAG South West, Countryside & Community Research Institute & Natural England

Within Gloucestershire, the Farming and Wildlife

Advisory Group (FWAG) and the Countryside and

Community Research Institute (CCRI) at the

University of Gloucestershire have developed an

integrated local delivery (ILD) framework,

implemented in a range of situations, that enables

those with local skills and environmental land

management knowledge to contribute to the

management of sensitive and key environmental

sites.

The first project delivered using the ILD framework

was in the Parish of Uley, Gloucestershire, where

the objective was to support the village and local

farmers in the restoration and long-term

protection of Uley Bury Hill Fort and surrounding

grassland.

The ILD framework was developed in 2004 from a

landscape-scale project that outlined the urgent

need for a simple mechanism that valued local

knowledge and connected this knowledge and all

levels of strategy to delivery by providing local

relevance through a simple transferable process.

The concept of ILD is that each community could

be inspired and enabled to look after its piece of

the global jigsaw to deliver multi-strategy

objectives at a local level. The ILD approach has

been so successfully used in Gloucestershire for

over 10 years, to restore key environmental

protected sites, that the approach is now being

applied to deliver water security through

integrated catchment management.

The Upper Thames Catchment Pilot is a pioneering

initiative, supported by Defra, set up to develop

ways to achieve these aims. The partnership is

committed to identifying related actions, many of

which are already in progress in the catchment,

and linking them together through the steering

group to deliver integrated management of land

and water.

The partnership used the ILD framework to embed

this collaborative working both in the development

of strategic priorities and on-the-ground delivery

through a shared problem-solving approach.

www.fwagsw.org.uk

Image: Lakeside morning at Cotswold Water Park by Mark Philpott (Flickr CC 2.0)



River Wiki

The RESTORE Partnership (incl. the Environment Agency & River Restoration Centre)

The River Wiki has been set up by the River

Restoration Centre to consolidate river restoration

case studies from all over Europe. Currently there

are 819 case studies from 31 countries published

on the website.

You can search through the case studies using a

number of different variables depending on the

type of project you are looking for.

You can also search by cost, techniques used,

reasons for failures as well as geographically.

This project aims to showcase completed

restoration projects as well as to act as a tool to

guide future projects. Its wiki format allows any

registered user to upload their own projects and

comment on other projects.

It is hoped that by allowing this transparency, fresh

ideas will emerge and benefit rivers worldwide.

This project was created by the RESTORE

partnership for river restoration in Europe and

funded by the European Commission's Life+

programme.

www.restorerivers.eu



CaBA Mentoring Programme

The Rivers Trust, Westcountry Rivers Trust, the Evidence & Measures Team

The aim of the CaBA Mentoring Programme is to

build capacity and resilience within the CaBA family

making an evidence-based approach within the

CABA movement sustainable in the long term.

To achieve this a small, multi-organisational,

mentoring team will work with CaBA partners

helping them to move forward in their catchment.

This team will work by drawing out solutions from

the team itself and from partners’ own experience,

including that gained in other CaBA catchments.

By working on individual catchments the

mentoring team will gather relevant intelligence on

common issues and barriers, which can then be

escalated to the CaBA National Support Group.

Furthermore, as each member of the mentoring

team moves from one catchment to the next they

will also look for any opportunities to link

neighbouring catchments with common issues or

skills requirements The small initial team will need

to identify and promote the network of expertise

which already exists within the CaBA family if the

service is to become sustainable in the long term.

The CaBA website, Forum and data sharing

infrastructure will all be critical tools to support this

work, promoting a 'one to many' approach where

possible to maximise the reach of the mentoring

resource across all CaBA catchments.

Some of the key principals of mentoring:

The mentor must start the process by listening

to the technical support needs of the partner

organisation.

The mentor must identify the most cost effective

way to move them forward on the partnerships

agenda and submit a one page proposal. The

proposal should identify the partner contact and

the mentor contact.

The partner is then responsible for contacting

the mentoring team to secure the work. This

ensures that the partnership is in control and

only commissions work that it has agreed to.

The mentor must pass on freely, relevant

experience gained from other CaBA catchments.

Preferably, outputs should be passed from CaBA

partner to CaBA partner rather than via the

mentor or shared via the CaBA website.

Email: [email protected]



Not Another Consultation

Involve

Do you feel like you are not getting the true views

and opinions of the public you are engaging with?

Maybe you feel you see the same faces at all

meetings and are not hearing from all the groups

or individuals in your community.

If so, and you are committed to tackling the issues

within your area, perhaps it is time to try

something different.

The charity INVOLVE, which specialises in public

participation, have produced a practical guidance

document designed to help you plan and deliver

informal engagement events that combine a

community fun day with appropriate engagement

methods.

The guide is especially focussed on health related

engagement with local authorities, but the

contents are likely to be useful for anyone

interested in new ways of involving the public in

services or decisions. It provides practical guidance

on how to develop and plan informal engagement

events. It is a set of guidelines rather than a strict

blueprint. In order to be successful, any public

engagement activity that aims to improve any

aspect of an area must be designed

to suit the local context in which it occurs. What

works for one event or one community may be

inappropriate for others.

www.involve.org.uk



Ketso

Dr. Joanne Tippett, University of Manchester

Ketso means ‘action’ in Lesotho, where it was

invented. It has been refined over two decades of

action research with communities across the globe.

With Ketso everyone can participate and be more

creative.

Ketso offers a structured way to run a workshop,

using re-useable coloured shapes to capture

everyone's ideas, and is unique in that each part is

designed to act as a prompt for effective

engagement.

Ketso is for anyone who needs or wants to get

great results from working with a group of people.

These groups might be large (e.g. a consultation

with a hundred participants) or small (e.g. a

focused meeting with three people).

Ketso is great if you want to:

Work in groups (meetings, workshops, etc)

Make effective and productive use of people's

time

Engage with others (e.g. stakeholders)

Support collaboration, learning or creativity

Turn talk into action

Ketso is accessible to virtually anyone and is

particularly useful for people who need to work

together on an issue or plan within a limited time

frame. Ketso helps everyone to be a more effective

facilitator and extends the capacity and speed of

those who already run successful workshops.

Ketso is not just a re-usable ‘workshop in a bag’. It

comes with a growing range of free, open-source

support resources, including workshop plans that

you can customise to suit your needs. With Ketso

you have decades of practical research and

experimentation at your fingertips.

www.ketso.com



‘Fish’ in the Classroom

Various: incl. the Wandle Trust, Westcountry Rivers Trust & the Clyde Foundation

Bringing fish into the classroom is a fantastic,

interactive method of getting children excited

about nature as well as introducing them to the

issues facing the natural environment. Several river

and catchment groups are having great success

with this approach and regularly set up aquariums

in schools.

The Wandle Trust

Trout in the Classroom has been the Wandle

Trust’s award-winning education project since it

began in 2001 in partnership with Thames 21.

Every year they visit local schools and set up

aquariums with Trout eggs in the classroom. The

children get to see the hatching process and rear

the juveniles until they are due to be released into

the river. This ties in with most areas of the

national curriculum and leaves the children with a

great sense of achievement and a newfound

enthusiasm for river ecology.

www.wandletrust.org


The River Exe Salmon in the Classroom Project has

just completed its fourth year and over 350

primary school pupils in the catchment have now

been involved. As an introduction to rivers and

wildlife, the children investigate the water quality

of their local river by looking at the invertebrates

living there. They then eagerly await the arrival of

their salmon eggs which are soon ready to be

transported from the hatchery. Just weeks after

their arrival, the eggs hatch and 3‐4 weeks later

they emerge as swim‐up fry ready to be released

back into the river at Easter time.

www.wrt.org.uk

Clyde River Foundation

Clyde in the Classroom is an annual scheme where

hatcheries are installed in classrooms for two

months and brown trout eggs are hatched and

raised ready for release into the River Clyde. The

project filters into all areas of the curriculum and

inspires artwork and poetry as well as learning

about trout development and river ecology. So far

the Foundation has had hatcheries in 57% of the

schools within the Clyde catchment and has

engaged with over 16,000 pupils.

www.clyderiverfoundation.org



Yellow Fish

Environment Agency & various partners

Yellow fish is simple project where yellow fish are

painted next to drains to remind people that what

is put down a drain impacts aquatic life. Road and

surface water drains are designed to allow

rainwater to drain into the nearest waterbody, but

these drains can be a large source of pollution with

substances like engine oil, paint, detergents and

litter being put down them. Once these pollutants

enter a waterbody they can be incredibly harmful

to fish and other organisms that live there.

Led by the Environment Agency, once permission

is obtained from the landowner (usually the local

authority), local community groups receive a pack

including a stencil and guidelines for raising

awareness in the local community. These groups

can be local conservation groups or school groups.

This is a brilliant, active way of getting young

people interested in conservation. The project can

be shaped to suit the group, being equally suited

as the foundation of a whole Key Stage or as a

stand alone activity. Raising awareness within the

community via leaflets and newsletters also Makes

Yellow Fish fantastic for developing learning,

thinking skills and citizenship awareness.

Participant’s are encouraged to send in a feedback

form in order to get their project marked on the

EA’s yellow fish map, showing all the places where

this scheme is being carried out.

Skelton Primary School, York

Skelton Primary School’s Eco Team is one of many

schools that has been involved with the Yellow Fish

Scheme. In conjunction with Tees Valley Wildlife

Trust the children spent an afternoon marking

yellow fish next to drains. The children also went to

the local river to see the possible effects of

pollution. Jo Feary from Redcar and Cleveland

Council also came along to explain to the children

the work that had been done around the river by

the council as well as local residents groups.

yellow.fish@environment-

agency.gov.uk



The First Tweet: Guide to Social Media

Unity Trust Bank & Social Misfits Media

When you look at the numbers, it’s hard to deny

that social media has become a ubiquitous part of

how the world does business. Ninety one percent

of online adults worldwide now use some sort of

social media regularly.

In the UK alone, there are 41 million Facebook

users, and 10 million people on Twitter. The

question of whether or not social media is

important has been answered., but has social

media become a critical part of how the world

does good?

At Unity Trust Bank and Social Misfits Media, they

engage every day with charities, social enterprises,

and other organisations who they think are

unmatched in their devotion to making social

change. And yet, many of them are not

strategically using the free tools that are available

online to broaden their audiences, spread their

messages and, crucially, raise more funds to

support the work they do.

They surveyed 186 small- and medium-sized UK

charities and social enterprises (all with an annual

turnover of less than £5 million) to find out their

thoughts on social media – if they felt they were

using it strategically for communications and

fundraising, what platforms they used and how

often, and what they felt their challenges were. The

results probably won’t surprise you. Generally, they

found that these organisations are not using social

media as efficiently, effectively, or strategically as

they would like – not due to lack of desire, but

rather lack of skills, time, or understanding.

Having done this research, they then created their

guide, “About that First Tweet,” to help these

organisations take the next step – or in some

cases, the first step – on their social media journey.

In this guide you will find interviews with social

media experts giving their top tips on how to best

engage with the platforms they provide; real-life

examples from large and small organisations on

how they used social media to achieve an offline

goal; a checklist of reminders; and a list of

resources for further reading.

www.unity.co.uk/guide



Rural Economy & Land Use (RELU) Programme

Various (University of East Anglia, University of London, Westcountry Rivers Trust)

The interdisciplinary RELU Programme, funded

between 2004 and 2011, had the aim of harnessing

the sciences to help and promote sustainable rural

development and advance understanding of the

challenges caused by this change today and in the

future. Research was undertaken to inform policy

and practice with choices on how to manage the

countryside and rural economies.

The findings of several RELU projects highlighted

the need for more sustained and two-way

communication with stakeholders about land

management. The researchers have demonstrated

that new ‘knowledge-bases’ can be established

that combine local knowledge with external

expertise.

The research has also identified a number of

techniques that enable stakeholders, who may

start with different views and levels of

understanding, to redefine the issues collectively in

a way that can help them find innovative solutions

with multiple benefits.

Perhaps the best example of this work is the ESRC-

funded RELU study, led by Laurie Smith from SOAS

at the University of London, which developed the

concept of a ‘catchment area partnership’ (CAP)

and the then novel ‘catchment area delivery

organisations’ (CADO) approach for the delivery of

catchment management in England and Wales.

Piloted in the Tamar and Thurne catchments, the

SOAS project established a clear catchment

management ‘roadmap’ on how to: create a

catchment partnership, integrate scientific

investigation with policy; foster decision-making

and implementation to resolve conflicts; and to

share best practice.

Several of the other RELU projects that looked at

catchment management also characterised a

positive feedback loop in participatory catchment

management planning whereby small initial

changes initially yield a small benefit that, in turn,

goes on to encourage far bigger changes later in

the process. This feedback loop builds local

capacity, levering in new resources, including fresh

commitments of time, expertise and funding.

www.watergov.org

www.soas.ac.uk/relu

youtu.be/XQsGUNxvyjA

It is vital that participatory, stakeholder-led catchment planning is underpinned by

robust data and evidence. Once the data and evidence has been collated, presented

and evaluated, a partnership can then work to define areas of the catchment most

likely to play a critical role in the provision or regulation of different environmental

services.

Robust use of data and evidence created through field-based assessments or

computer modelling can enable a catchment partnership to build consensus about

what needs to be done and where. This ensures that the catchment management

measures included in the delivery plan are targeted into areas where there is the

greatest likelihood of realising multifunctional environmental benefits.

1 Use data & evidence to inform


2



Participatory Ecosystem Services Visualisation


The Westcountry Rivers Trust, in collaboration with

DEFRA and the Rivers Trust, has developed a

method for undertaking stakeholder-led spatial

visualisation of ecosystem services provisioning

areas across a catchment landscape.

During this participatory process, primary,

secondary and tertiary stakeholders and technical

specialists work with a broker/facilitator to collate

and scrutinise all of the data and evidence relating

to environmental infrastructure and ecosystem

services provision for their area of interest.

Once the evidence has been evaluated, the

partnership then works to develop a series of

conceptual models or ‘rules’ that can be used to

define areas of the catchment most likely to play a

critical role in the provision of the different

ecosystem services, singly or in combination. These

priority areas are locations where a programme of

measures may realise the greatest enhancement in

the provision of multiple ecosystem services.

Fundamentally, this is a data visualisation and

evidence exploration process that facilitates the

development of a shared vision and language in a

catchment group.

WRT first developed this approach during the

Tamar Partnership Pilot in 2012. Since then, the

approach has been adopted in four further

catchments in the South West River Basin District

and WRT are also working to assist two others.

Furthermore, six catchments in the Severn River

Basin District and two catchments in the Anglian

River Basin District (the Cam & Ely Ouse and East

Suffolk) have also used this approach in their

catchment partnerships to date.

To view all of the ESS Visualisation Map Books

produced so far please visit the WRT Issuu page.

issuu.com/westcountryriverstrust



EcoServ

Durham Wildlife Trust, Sussex Wildlife Trust & various partners

Durham Wildlife Trust created a toolkit for

Ecosystem Service mapping that uses nationally

available datasets. This system is called EcoServ-

GIS. The final toolkit for this was released to other

Wildlife Trusts in August 2014.

The toolkit is one of the Wildlife Trust’s

contributions to the national work that has been

promoting the Ecosystem Approach. EcoServ-GIS

has been showcased at a past Ecosystem

Knowledge Network event and the final toolkit has

outputs for 12 Ecosystem Services: Carbon

Storage; Local Climate; Noise Regulation;

Pollination; Water Purification; Accessible Nature;

Aesthetics; Community Cohesion; Education

Knowledge; Wildlife Watching; Timber; Food

Provision (pending) and as a function of all these,

multifunctionality.

For each of these services carefully constructed

models are created, based on datasets of known

quality and decision processes established in the

National Ecosystem Assessment. Outputs are

created for service ‘capacity’, ‘demand’ and

‘provision’.

Sussex Wildlife Trust (SWT) (through the Sussex

Biodiversity Record Centre (SxBRC), became, along

with Somerset and Northamptonshire, pilot areas

for the toolkit, as it was utilised for the first time

outside Durham. The experience of these three

pilots could then be fed back to Durham Wildlife

Trust so that they could use the shared experiences

to refine the final version of the toolkit.

The Sussex Local Nature Partnership are keen to

promote the understanding of Ecosystem Services

to organisations and projects operating in Sussex.

It is therefore hosting an event to establish what

uses these maps can be put to, and thus how the

maps should be presented, as products, and to

whom. There is a raft of locally generated

information and data that can be used to enhance

the EcoServ-GIS outputs, and experts will be

consulted to seek the optimum presentation of the

data so that the EcoServ-GIS maps can fulfil their

maximum potential in the area.

The outputs of this event will be shared on the

Sussex LNP website and if you are interested in

attending please visit follow the links on the Sussex

LNP website.

wwww.sussexlnp.org.uk

Image: South Downs by SkipnCLick (Flickr CC 2.0)



Habitat Resilience Tool

Devon Wildlife Trust & The Met Office

The purpose of this tool is to help the user to

understand how resilient habitats are anywhere in

the county. This is important because vulnerable,

less resilient habitats are less likely to deliver the

range of services we need (flood prevention and

clean water for example).

Species that rely on these vulnerable habitats are

less likely to bounce back when their populations

fluctuate. The challenge for all sectors is therefore

clear; to restore habitat resilience, to restore the

components required to secure habitats that are

increased in number, larger in size, better quality

and more joined up.

The most important range of factors influencing

resilience have been modelled. These include:

Habitat Status, Habitat Management, Habitat

Connectivity, Response to Climate Change, and

Topography.

Each layer has a 50m resolution and is allocated a

resilience score from 1 to 10. The user can then

define which layer, or combination of layers, to

scrutinize and uniquely apply weightings to each.

New map outputs are produced at each step.

The map tool is web based and anyone can access

and use it. Map outputs show user defined choices

that are made providing a clear decision trail.

The map will be accessible from Devon Biodiversity

Records Centre and also the Local Nature

Partnership webpages in the near future.

www.dbrc.org.uk

www.naturaldevon.org.uk

Image: Devon Wildlife Trust



Catchment Data Explorer

Environment Agency

The catchment data explorer is a data download

and visualization tool designed to support the

consultation on the update to the River Basin

Management Plans. Users are freely available to

navigate the site and explore catchments across

the UK.

Users can search for catchments of interest using a

map or by postcode, grid reference and place

name.

Each catchment in the UK has through summaries

and are further categorised in into operational and

management catchments. Data can be

downloaded from the site and there is also a list of

useful web links.

The underlying data in the Catchment Data

Explorer is stored as linked data and is made

available under an Open Government License for

reuse. The site is currently under development as a

“beta”, and will be improved with user feedback

over the coming weeks and months.

The site is open to all, and can be accessed here:

environment.data.gov.uk/catchment

-planning



Invasive Species Apps: PlantTracker, AquaInvaders & SealifeTracker


The Environment Agency have developed three

free mobile apps, which use ‘citizen’ collected data

to map, track and in the future monitor treatment

of Invasive Non Native Species (INNS).

The apps provide reference guides to help people

identify species. The maps that these apps produce

can contribute towards a catchment action or

delivery plan for INNS.

The Plant Tracker project is a collaboration

between the Environment Agency, Scottish Natural

Heritage, the Scottish Environment Protection

Agency, the Nature Locator team and the Centre

for Ecology and Hydrology.

The main aim is to locate incidences of high

priority invasive plant species. There is currently a

lack of information on exactly how serious the

problem presented by invasive plant species really

is. With your help we hope to build the most

complete picture yet and provide the raw data to

those that need it most in (almost) real time.

Obtaining accurate data about the distribution of

invasive species is of paramount importance when

it comes to assessing impact and formulating a

response, but data provision is often patchy and

records are usually unverifiable and lacking

accurate geographic reference.

The PlantTracker project has addressed these

problems by combining the development of a

smartphone application with the power of crowd-

sourcing data collection; that's to say the app

enables real data to be collected by interested

members of the public in the field.

Critically, each record collected is verifiable since it

is comprised of a photograph along with other

relevant metadata. Records are also accurately geo

-located since the app utilises the phone’s inbuilt

GPS capabilities. Another benefit of the app is that

includes photographic ID guides so that people

can distinguish non-natives from our similar

looking indigenous plants.

Data collected by the PlantTracker app is passed

through to the Biological Records Centre's iRecord

system and verified data is passed onto the NBN

Gateway

planttracker.naturelocator.org

naturelocator.org



The Rivers Trust Mapping Portal

The Rivers Trust & various partners

The Catchment Mapping Portal is a resource that

can be used by anybody who is interested or

involved in catchment planning, to view a range of

different datasets concerning river catchment

quality or status.

The portal contains Water Framework Directive

status and Reasons for Failure information for river,

estuarine and coastal waterbodies across the UK,

as well as supporting information such as the fish

classification scheme, riparian shade and potential

barriers to fish migration. These are primarily

provided by the Environment Agency – some of

which are served as live data feeds, directly from

the EA’s DataShare (Geostore), while others are re-

hosted by the Rivers Trust.

Anyone can register to access the portal, but they

must provide details of their intended use of the

data to help identify user requirements, tailor any

future updates and meet licencing requirements.

After registering, you will receive an email

containing your username and password – use

these to access the portal via the link below.

While the Catchment Mapping Portal primarily

contains national datasets, it also contains some

While the Catchment Mapping Portal primarily

contains national datasets, it also contains some

local, specific data stored in the “Local” folder,

which has been provided by various CaBA partners.

The Rivers Trust also hosts a number of other

mapping portals. The Tyne Mapping Portal is an

open access portal (no registration required) and

has been developed for Tyne Rivers Trust to share

the outputs from their catchment plan with their

stakeholders and members of the public.

There is also a pilot Barrier mapping portal, which

is aimed at rivers trusts in England, Wales and

Northern Ireland, and is used to identify and assess

river obstructions and barriers to fish migration

collaboratively with the Environment Agency and

other catchment management stakeholders. The

first phase of the project will allow trusts to edit,

amend and audit barrier information from the EA,

as well as add records from their own local

information and surveys. Future phases will

incorporate more sophisticated analyses and

species porosity assessment.

www.maps.theriverstrust.org



GeoVisionary

Virtalis & the British Geological Survey

GeoVisionary was developed by Virtalis in

collaboration with the British Geological Survey as

specialist software for high-resolution visualisation

of spatial data.

The initial design goal was to ensure that data sets

for large regions, national to sub-continental,

could be loaded simultaneously and at full

resolution, while allowing real-time interaction with

the data.

One of the major advantages GeoVisionary offers

over other visualisation software (3D & 4D GIS) is

its ability to integrate very large volumes of data

from multiple sources, allowing a greater

understanding of diverse spatial datasets.

GeoVisionary Version 2 brings exciting new

capabilities, including:

Visualisation of voxels for the interpretation of

volumetric or block models.

The ability to render point clouds from laser scan

data.

The mapping of 4D or time series, allowing data

gathered from different time periods to be

compared and trends analysed.

A plane tool which allows geoscientists to

measure and visualise outcrops to assess the

orientation and geological relationships of rock

strata

GeoVisionary is a valuable and unique software

tool for the visualisation, analysis and

interpretation of large and complex, multi-source

datasets.

www.virtalis.com/geovisionary



MAGIC Interactive Map

Defra Family Organisations

MAGIC (also known as Nature Map) is an online

tool which provides geographic information about

the natural environment from across government.

The MAGIC website was originally launched in

2002, and in 2012 the website was updated and re-

launched in May 2013.

The information covers rural, urban, coastal and

marine environments across Great Britain. It is

presented in an interactive map which can be

explored using the various mapping tools

provided.

Natural England manages the service under the

direction of a Steering Group who represent the

MAGIC organisations, these include: The

Department of Environment, Food and Rural

Affairs, English Heritage, Natural England,

Environment Agency, Forestry Commission, and

the Marine Management Organisation.

It is presented in an interactive map which can be

explored using various mapping tools that are

included. Users do not require specialist software

and can access maps using a standard web

browser, but there are options to download some

datasets when available. MAGIC is now managed

by Natural England :

www.magic.gov.uk



Bathing Water Explorer

Environment Agency

The Bathing Water Data Explorer is an application

designed to enable people to explore information

about English and Welsh designated bathing

waters that has been produced by the Environment

Agency and Natural Resources Wales.

The Bathing Water Data Explorer homepage

provides two ways to find a bathing water. You can

search by name of a bathing water (beach) or

names of counties or districts that contains bathing

waters or a full postcode. As you type in the search

box names of all those districts, counties and

bathing waters that contain the search term so far

will appear, at any point you can click on one of

the results to make a choice. Clicking on a bathing

water’s name will take you to the bathing water’s

profile page.

Alternatively, you can use the controls on the map

or your mouse or pointing device to pan and zoom

to a region of the map. The icons show all of the

bathing waters in that area. Hovering the pointer

over an icon will show the bathing water’s name.

Clicking on an icon will take to you the bathing

water’s profile page.

Once you have located a bathing water, you can

read its Bathing Water Profile, which includes a

summary description and photograph of the beach

and detailed information about the surrounding

area, rivers and streams feeding into the site and a

pollution management plan.

They also include maps of the locations of natural

drainage catchment and of locations of water

quality related features including as surface water

outfalls, emergency or storm overflows and treated

sewage works outfall.

The bathing water profile pages also contain a

summary of annual bathing water quality

compliance results (measuring the overall water

quality for a given year) for the last five years and

the most recent in-season sample assessment

result.

www.environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/

explorer



EcoSpatial GIS e-Learning Resource

Westcountry Rivers Trust & the Scottish Fisheries Coordination Centre

The use of spatial data and geographic information

(GI) in evidence-based policy and decision making

has seen a rapid expansion in recent years.

Ecological and conservation organisations such as

rivers/fisheries trusts, wildlife trusts and many

others are increasingly being required to collate,

manage and interpret spatial data and evidence in

their work.

The best way to encourage and facilitate the use of

the spatial data in GIS applications is to train

practitioners to develop their GIS and spatial data

skills and, in so doing, build capability in their

organisations.

To meet the growing demand for subject-specific

and relevant GIS training courses Westcountry

Rivers Trust have developed a series of intensive

GIS short-courses specifically tailored to develop

and disseminate best practice and technical GIS

skills in the use of GIS, in practitioners engaged in

catchment management planning, landscape

ecology, fisheries science, river restoration, ecology

and conservation biology.

To support or enhance the delivery of face-to-face

training the Westcountry Rivers Trust have also

developed an online GIS training resource:

EcoSpatial Training. The e-learning resources

developed include:

Video demos of key theory and approaches

Video tutorials and demos of key techniques

Webinar presentations, online surgeries and

discussion sessions

A broad suite of easily accessible case studies

show-casing the application of GIS in the

catchment/ fisheries/wildlife management sector

Online help and technical support post training –

help forum, email/phone support.

www.ecospatial.info



Ecological Monitoring: Invertebrates

Various

The evaluation of invertebrate communities living

in a river or stream is one of the best methods we

have for assessing the impacts of environmental

stress on the health of an aquatic ecosystem.

To assess the ecological health of the invertebrate

communities in a river, samples are collected using

a standardised method and the organisms found

are identified to the level of taxonomic family or

species. In addition, the approximate abundance of

each group found in the sample is also recorded

and this combined data is used to calculate so‐

called biotic indices, which are used to draw

conclusions about the condition of the river and to

make comparisons between sites on the same or

different rivers.

For their statutory assessments of river condition

for the EU Water Framework Directive, the

resulting data is entered into a software package

called the River InVertebrate Prediction and

Classification System (RIVPACS), which was

developed by the Institute of Freshwater Ecology

(IFE). The RIVPACS package takes physical and

geographical information recorded about the

sample site and makes a prediction of the

invertebrate assemblage that is ‘expected’ to occur

in a river of that type in that geographic location.

This predicted score is then compared with the

score that was actually recorded from the river

sample taken to calculate the Ecological Quality

Ratio (EQR) for the site.

The EQR score is then used as an indicator of the

ecological health of the river for its WFD

invertebrate classification. The current biotic index

used for the WFD Invertebrate Classification is

termed the ‘average score per taxon’ (ASPT) index.

The power of invertebrate assessment as an

indicator of river condition and for identifying what

pressures are causing aquatic ecosystem

degradation, has, in recent years, been further

increased by the development of several new

indices. These indices, which include the

Proportion of Sediment‐sensitive Invertebrates

(PSI) index and the SPEcies At Risk from Pesticides

(SPEARPESTICIDES) index, allow the impacts of these

specific pollutants on the invertebrate communities

living in the river to be evaluated.

www.fba.org.uk



Catchment Invertebrate Fingerprinting

Wessex Chalk Streams & Rivers Trust

The WCSRT Catchment Invertebrate Fingerprinting

approach examines the responses of invertebrate

communities, in the water environment, to four

environmental stresses; low-flow impacts, fine

sediment, organic pollution and total reactive

phosphorus.

The degree of impact that these four stresses are

having upon specific locations within the

catchment can be identified through analysis of EA

invertebrate data sets. The resulting mapping can

be used to identify and target areas for further

study or for remediation action. Further sampling

can be undertaken to look into species level data

to provide a finer level of detail on the impacts of

the stresses within the catchment.

The technique takes historic EA invertebrate

sampling data and analyses the community

structure for each site against four biometric

indices: LIFE (low-flow impacts), PSI (fine sediment),

Saprobic (organic pollution) and TRPI (total

reactive phosphorus index).

Each of these environmental impacts induce

characteristic reactions within the invertebrate

community, such that it can be scored on any

occasion for degree of

impact on each index. Each site is colour-coded for

each index, where blue is clean, through to red –

heavily impacted. The arrows in each coloured box

indicate, over the available run of data, whether

the impact is getting worse (up arrow), better

(down arrow) or staying the same (level arrow).

Under licence, anyone can access the historic EA

sampling data. WCSRT employed Dr Nick Everall of

Aquascience Consulting Ltd to assess the

invertebrate community data and compute the

relevant biometric scores.

www.wcsrt.org.uk/invertebrate-

fingerprinting



Riverfly Partnership

Various

The Riverfly Partnership is a network of nearly 100

partner organisations, representing anglers,

conservationists, entomologists, scientists, water

course managers and relevant authorities, working

together to: protect the water quality of our rivers;

further the understanding of riverfly populations,

and actively conserve riverfly habitats.

The Riverfly Partnership interest focuses on three

key groups of riverflies: the up-wing flies or

mayflies (Ephemeroptera), caddisflies or sedges

(Trichoptera) and stoneflies (Plecoptera) in

whatever habitats they occur (rivers and still

waters).

Riverflies (and other freshwater invertebrates) are

at the heart of the freshwater ecosystem and are a

vital link in the aquatic food chain. Riverfly

populations are affected by many factors,

predominately water quality, habitat diversity,

water level and flow rate. Their common

characteristics of limited mobility, relatively long

life cycle, presence throughout the year and

specific tolerances to changes in environmental

conditions make them powerful biological

indicators to monitor water quality, and are

commonly referred to as ‘the canary of our rivers.’

The Riverfly Partnership spearheads an initiative to

allow interested groups to take action that will

help conserve the river environment. This initiative

provides a simple monitoring technique which

groups can use to detect any severe perturbations

in river water quality and puts them in direct

communication with the local Ecological Contact of

the EA, SEPA, NRW or NIEA.

The monitoring scheme, used alongside the

routine monitoring of these organisations ensures

that water quality is checked more widely and

action taken at the earliest opportunity if any

problem are detected. Successful schemes are

underway within catchments in England, Wales,

Scotland and Ireland.

Organisations interested in joining the initiative

must have an individual prepared to act as a local

coordinator and have members attend an official

one-day Riverfly Partnership workshop, run by an

accredited Riverfly Partnership Tutor. The training

workshop includes presentations and practical

demonstrations.

www.riverflies.org



Comet Assay for DNA Damage

Plymouth University

One target system to diagnose the effects of

contaminant exposure on organisms in the

environment is to monitor biological damage by

examining effects on their DNA. Contaminant-

induced damage results in breaks in the DNA

structure. Such breaks could give rise to heritable

changes and thus, population level effects, notably

reproductive success (i.e. fertility and fecundity).

The Comet assay is a simple method to measure

DNA damage. The principle of the technique is to

induce relaxation of the negatively-charged DNA

supercoils where breaks are apparent. The higher

the amount of DNA breaks leads to the greater

distance of migration within the gel using

electrophoresis.

The relative amount of DNA migrated provides a

simple method to measure the DNA breaks in an

individual cell. The aptly-named Comet assay is

due to the appearance of ‘comet heads’ containing

the high molecular weight DNA and the ‘comet

tail’ containing the leading end of molecular

fragments.

The Comet Assay has been used to identify DNA

damage in a number of invertebrate taxa in recent

years, including three bivalve species: the common

cockle, Cerastoderma edule; the blue mussel,

Mytlius edulis and larvae of the pacific oyster,

Crassostrea gigas during two case studies in the

Tamar Estuary. Work is now continuing to examine

DNA damage in a number of other candidate

organisms in freshwater and coastal ecosystems.


Image: Comet Assays by Awantha Dissanayake



Aquatic Risk Management Toolbox (ARMT)

University of Brighton in the AquaManche Project

The Aquatic Management of Catchments for

Health & Environment (AquaManche) Project

aimed to deliver practical tools to improve

prediction, mitigation and management of river,

estuarine and coastal waters in the France

(Channel) - England region using the innovative

application of microbial source tracking (MST).

The Aquatic Risk Management Toolbox (ARMT)

brings together monitoring, microbial source

tracking, catchment modelling tools and a web-

based public information system, in order to

predict risk and inform future management within

river catchments in the cross-border region.

This ‘toolbox’ approach, in which a number of

methods are used in combination, provides

important information regarding the most likely

sources of faecal contamination present within

water samples from different sites within a study

catchment.

www.about.brighton.ac.uk/

aquamanche



Assessing the condition of fish populations

Various

Electrofishing is one of the most effective methods

available to quantify, assess and monitor fish

populations; within and between waterbodies.

Electrofishing involves creating an electric field in

the water that temporarily immobilises the fish or

influences the direction in which they swim,

making them relatively easy to capture with a net.

Electrofishing surveys can either be qualitative or

quantitative. Qualitative electrofishing is used to

capture a snapshot of the fish population, giving

an indication of the species present (or any notable

absences) and their age classes.

Quantitative sampling requires a more structured

approach, with a defined area, typically 100m2,

fished repeatedly having been isolated using stop

nets at the top and bottom of the river section.

This method allows an accurate count of the

number of fish to be made and, by recording the

species, age and size of the fish caught, the results

are entirely comparative between different sites

and over time.

Semi‐quantitative electrofishing is a method that

concentrates on recording the presence or absence

of different species, the sizes of the fish caught and

the abundance of juvenile fish. Unlike quantitative

electrofishing surveys, semi‐quantitative surveys

are comparable because they are always

undertaken for a fixed time period of five minutes

and each site is surveyed with the same level of

effort. The advantage of this approach is that it is

quick to undertake a survey and so multiple sites

across a catchment to be surveyed each year

without prohibitive cost implications.

Results recorded from electrofishing sites across a

catchment can be used to assess the distribution

and density of juvenile fish, which in turn enables

us to estimate the number of adults that were

present the previous year and the health of the fish

population. The results can also be used to

compare tributaries in the same catchment or

sections within the same river, which is particularly

important in identifying where density is below

desired levels and ensures that river improvement

works are targeted into the right locations and that

any improvements are accurately recorded.

www.ifm.org.uk

www.wrt.org.uk/fisheries.html

Image: WRT



Fisheries Walkover Surveys

Westcountry Rivers Trust & various other Rivers Trusts

While there is now a wealth of data sources

available to help characterise our river catchments

and prioritise where to start tackling issues, there is

no substitute to getting out on the ground and

undertaking a walkover survey to properly

understand the local environment.

Ground surveys tend to capture the highest level

of accuracy and resolution of environmental data,

which is necessary for identifying specific problems

and targeting measures. In addition, field work will

provide an opportunity to begin engaging with

local landowners and communities which will be

essential for implementing any land use changes.

The objective of the Fisheries Walkover Survey is to

gather information about the location and extent

of the various physical habitat features present

along and immediately surrounding a river, so that

an assessment can be made about habitat quality

and quantity (in-stream & bankside) for fish

(especially salmonids). This should allow factors

which may be limiting salmon productivity to be

identified and recommendations made regarding

habitat restoration techniques.

The survey methodology developed by the

Westcountry Rivers Trust is adapted from the

techniques outlined in the Environment Agency

document Restoration of Riverine Salmon Habitats:

A Guidance Manual (Hendry & Cragg-Hine, 1997).

During the survey, the boundaries of different in-

channel habitat classifications are drawn onto a

map to represent the areas of individual habitat

types using the symbols provided in the key. In this

manner, a mosaic of different habitat types and

features of interest can be compiled and assessed

for the whole section of river and any interventions

required can be identified.

www.wrt.org.uk/fisheries.html



River Habitat Survey

Environment Agency & various others

The River Habitat Survey (RHS) Project was

initiated at the beginning of the 1990s by the

National Rivers Authority in England and Wales.

The aim of the project was to produce a method

for recording habitat features of importance to

wildlife and to provide an assessment of habitat

quality along rivers in England and Wales.

The method was initially developed and

implemented by a group of geomorphologists,

ecologists, statisticians and experienced

environmental managers from across England and

Wales.

The overall idea was to try to capture in a

quantitative or semi-quantitative way the physical

diversity of rivers. The survey methodology was

based on fluvial geomorphology and ecology. The

focus of the survey methodology was not provide

an inventory of features specifically linked to

known species but to record forms and habitats

that are the results of natural geomorphological

and biological processes. The survey was applied

to more than 24,000 sites in the UK and abroad.

The RHS field method is a systematic assessment

of the physical structure of a watercourse. Data

collection is based on a standard 500m length of

river channel. Information is collected for each site,

including: grid reference, altitude, slope, geology,

height of source and distance from source.

During the field survey, features of the channel

(both in-stream and banks) and adjacent river

corridor are recorded. In all, more than 200

compulsory data entries are made at each site, in

the form of the presence, absence and (in some

case) extent of specific features, collectively

building a comprehensive picture of habitat

diversity and character. Both the map-derived and

field data are computerised, thus allowing easy

access to a database, and rapid analysis of the

information collected.

To establish a community of RHS researchers,

environmental managers and practitioners, a

website has been developed to improve awareness

and knowledge on species and habitats and their

links to catchment processes and human activity.

www.riverhabitatsurvey.org

Image: WRT



Pollution Tracing Walkover Surveys

Various (incl. APEM, the Environment Agency & various Rivers Trusts)

Several organisations have now developed walk-

over survey methodologies for locating sediment

pollution in river catchments.

The exact methodologies involved vary, but they all

involve walking along watercourses (usually in wet

weather), looking for sediment or other pollution

entering the watercourse and tracing it back to its

source in the landscape.

Once sources of pollution have been identified,

interventions can be delivered to mitigate them or

disconnect the pollution pathway carrying

pollutants to the watercourse.

It is important to note that these surveys give a

very quick snap-shot of the situation in a

catchment (which by their nature are highly

transient) and solutions must be enacted

immediately to ensure success.

Perhaps the most extensive surveys of this kind

have been undertaken by APEM on behalf of the

Environment Agency. The APEM methodology has

now been used by them and others to assess over

14,000km of river in the UK and they now offer

training in the application of this method.

In addition, a number of other groups have

developed their own versions of this approach to

this kind of river corridor assessment: most notably

Severn Rivers Trust and Ribble Rivers Trust.

www.apemltd.co.uk/field-surveys

www.severnriverstrust.com

www.ribbletrust.org.uk/

volunteering/river-walkover-surveys

Image: WRT



Urban Pollution Monitoring

The Wandle Trust (now part of the South East Rivers Trust)

The Environment Agency is helping Wandle Trust

volunteers to spot pollution alongside the River

Wandle in South London by creating a partnership

to care for the river.

After receiving training, Wandle Trust staff and

volunteers are able to attend minor incidents on

the river, assess the severity and report them to the

EA, who will then react to the incident accordingly.

Pollution incidents that affect water quality are a

contributory factor in holding the Wandle back

from achieving Good Ecological Potential under

the Water Framework Directive. Depending on

circumstances, the EA is not always able to

respond to lower impact pollution incidents. The

aim of the project is to enable the Wandle’s

Carshalton arm to reach Good Ecological Potential

by 2015, and make progress towards moving other

parts of the catchment to good status.

When notified, the Wandle Trust volunteers will

provide a first line of response to assess the

situation and report back to the EA. It is hoped that

this newly established partnership will enable local

Wandle Trust volunteers to keep an eye on the

river, facilitating a more efficient response to all

pollution incidents.

The information gathered by the Wandle Trust is

used to update the EA’s incident management

system and enhance understanding of the River

Wandle, including details of river pollution trends,

and gaining knowledge of where habitat

improvements are needed.

This initiative is just one phase of the Wandle

Delivery Plan, which will integrate the delivery of

habitat and fish passage projects with measures to

reduce and monitor diffuse pollution, and will

increase confidence that the habitat measures will

be successful and that deterioration will not occur.

The volunteer based scheme will be managed by

professional Wandle Trust staff, and is being run as

a pilot on the Wandle. If successful, the scheme

may be rolled out across the South East and

nationally.

www.wandletrust.org

Image: Oil on the Wandle by Simon Bisson (Flickr CC 2.0)



Sediment Fingerprinting

Various (esp. Plymouth University & Rothamsted Research, North Wyke)

There is increasing interest in tracing the key

sources of sediment in river channels to support

the targeting of mitigation actions that aim to

reduce sediment delivery to surface waters.

Sediment fingerprinting technology relies upon

identifying significant differences in the chemical

properties soil from different sediment sources.

Catchment sediment fingerprints can differ owing

to a range of natural and anthropogenic processes

reflecting underlying geology, landuse and

contamination. Subsequently, the properties of

channel sediments can be matched to those of the

potential sources to identify the main areas

contributing sediment (and contaminants) to the

river channel.

Sediment fingerprinting studies are carried out

using the source-pathway-receptor framework and

study sites are initially assessed to determine the

potential source components such as agricultural

surface soils, road-derived or quarry material for

example. Key pathways (e.g. drainage gullies; farm

tracks; road surfaces) are identified and also the

main receptor component of interest (e.g. river

channel reach or lake waters). Samples of sediment

are taken from each site using a pre-

defined sampling strategy and the geochemical

properties of the sediment then form the basis of

fingerprinting approach.

Properties that can be used to discriminate sources

are: (i) fallout radionuclides (137

Cs, 7Be and

210Pbxs)

which enable discrimination of surface, subsurface

and cultivated sources, (ii) major and minor

element geochemistry, which is related to

geological substrate but also modified by soil

formation processes and weathering and hence

has potential to discriminate landuse, (iii) mineral

magnetic properties, which are sensitive to soil

formation processes and pollution, and (iv)

contaminants from industrial or other

anthropogenic activities e.g. heavy metals.

Among the leading experts in the field of Sediment

Source Fingerprinting are Prof. Will Blake

(Plymouth University) and Prof. Adrian Collins

(Rothamsted Research) who have recently

collaborated in a detailed source apportionment

investigation of sediment sources in the River Taw.

www.wrt.org.uk/projects/crf.html

Image: WRT



Passive Sampling for Pesticides

South West Water, University of Portsmouth & Westcountry Rivers Trust

Taking samples of river water using the

conventional method of filling bottles by hand can

be costly and time-consuming. The results

obtained from these ‘spot’ samples can, at best,

only provide a snapshot of the concentration

target compounds which may be present at the

time of sampling.

Subsequent interpretation of the analytical results

obtained is also difficult (was it the leading edge of

a pollutant plume, the peak, or the trailing edge..?)

and the time lag between these results and repeat

samples or remedial action inevitably means the

environmental investigation is reactive in nature.

Recently, a number of alternative and innovative

monitoring strategies have been proposed to

overcome these challenges. In particular, research

is focusing on the use of passive samplers which

can be deployed alone or, more often, in

conjunction with spot sampling to provide addition

data on water quality and pollutant loads in rivers.

Recently, a research collaboration between South

West Water, the University of Portsmouth, Natural

Resources Wales and the Westcountry Rivers Trust

has been established to use the ChemcatcherTM

passive sampler (developed at the University) to

investigate water quality in this area.

Chemcatcher™ is a small plastic device fitted with a

specifically tailored receiving-phase disk that has a

high affinity for the target compounds of interest.

In practice, the receiving phase disk is overlaid with

a thin diffusion-limiting membrane. These devices

can be used to obtain the equilibrium

concentration of the pollutants or more typically

the time-weighted average (TWA) concentration

over the sampling period.

The first riverine trials using the ChemcatcherTM

involved investigating pesticides along the River

Exe; a river designated as a WFD Article 7 Drinking

Water Protected Area (DrWPA) with additional

Safeguard Zone (SGZ) status that requires a formal

‘action plan’ to be drawn up by the Environment

Agency. In 2014, the first field deployments of

passive samplers has been undertaken by

Westcountry Rivers Trust in the Tamar and Fowey

Catchments.

www.wrt.org.uk/passivesampling.pdf

youtu.be/f7Xzr4FIJmg

Image: WRT



In Situ Nutrient Monitoring

Sea Bird & Wavelength Environmental

A huge amount of information can be obtained

using un-attended in situ water quality monitoring

equipment. Recently two submersible data-loggers

for phosphate and nitrate have become available

that allow high frequency measurement of nutrient

concentrations in watercourses.

The Cycle PO4 Phosphate Sensor (below left and

centre) is a submersible, phosphate analyser with

built-in data logger that provides unparalleled

precision and accuracy. Ideal for unattended

monitoring the Cycle PO4 includes keyed, pre-

mixed on-board reagent cartridges and calibration

standards that click into place. Each set of reagents

is sufficient for just over 1000 measurements.

It uses the established ‘molybdenum blue’ method.

A small volume of sample is filtered and drawn in

by precision micro-pumps, reagents are injected

and mixed - if there is phosphate in the sample a

blue colour will develop. The higher the phosphate

concentration the deeper the colour. The controller

software is easy to use but the unit should be set

up by an expert user. Ongoing maintenance can be

done by anyone.

The SUNA V2 Submersible Ultra-Violet Nitrate

Analyser (below right) is a submersible sensor for

the measurement of nitrate concentrations in

water. It has built in data-logging and can be fitted

with an automatic cleaning unit to enable long

term, unattended deployments. It can be easily

interfaced to telemetry units to enable remote

collection of data.

The SUNA V2 uses the chemical-free ultra violet

absorption principle to measure nitrate. It is

available with 10cm and 5cm path-lengths and

uses adaptive sampling techniques (adjusts the

light source in response to turbidity) so that it can

be used in more optically challenging

environments.

The SUNA is best operated by someone with at

least some previous experience with water quality

sensors. Training and instruction and ongoing

support is provided.

wavelength-environmental.co.uk



In Situ Fluorimetry to Identify Organic Pollution Sources

Turner Designs, Eureka & Westcountry Rivers Trust

There is increasing interest in the use of fluorimetry

in water quality research owing to its ability to

provide an efficient means of tracing organic

inputs to water courses. Upon excitation with an

energy source, a typical river water sample will

display a range of fluorescent emissions, which

include protein-like (e.g. tryptophan) and fulvic/

humic-like fluorescence. These emissions occur at

very distinct wavelengths and are therefore readily

identifiable in emission spectra.

The presence of tryptophan in water is related to

microbial activity and the intensity of tryptophan

fluorescence has been shown to correlate strongly

with Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and, as

such, the use of fluorimetry may provide a useful

alternative to the time consuming traditional

approach to characterising BOD.

Numerous studies have successfully used protein-

like fluorescence to identify farm and household-

based sources underlining the potential for

fluorescence as a tool for source apportionment in

river systems.

Fluorimetry can also be used to detect Optical

Brightening Agents (OBA). OBAs are a common

component of laundry detergents and, thus,

provide a useful indicator of sewage or grey water

inputs to watercourses. Whereas tryptophan

fluorescence is likely to be associated with both

agricultural and sewage sources, OBA signatures

are confined to sewage. The ability to detect both

tryptophan and OBAs during water quality analysis,

therefore, provides a unique opportunity to

determine the source of organic inputs.

Recent advances in the design of fluorimeters have

enabled the development of submersible units,

which are compact and easily deployed during

field investigations.

Turner Designs have produced the Cyclops 7

fluorimeter, which can be programmed to focus

upon the excitation-emission wavelength pairs of

interest. For deployment, the sensors are

incorporated into the Eureka Manta 2 Sonde

platform, which has the capacity to house multiple

sensors.



High Resolution Conductivity Monitoring

Various (esp. Wavelength Environmental & Westcountry Rivers Trust)

Conductivity is a general measure of water quality.

Streams have a relatively constant range of

conductivity and significant changes indicate that a

discharge or other source of pollution has entered

a stream. A failing sewage works would raise the

conductivity because of phosphate and nitrate;

while an oil spill would lower the conductivity.

Smart sensors for conductivity are relatively low

cost so can be deployed in greater numbers giving

higher spatial resolution over a catchment.

Deployed at key points (e.g. upstream and

downstream of known sources) sensors can

indicate the activity of that source. Water quality

sampling or the use of other sensors can then be

targeted at problem sources once key areas have

been identified.

Smart sensors for conductivity, temperature and

depth (another useful parameter) are simple to

calibrate and deploy, they require little

maintenance so can be used by those with little or

no experience with in situ water quality monitoring

sensors.

In 2013/14, Westcountry Rivers Trust and

researchers from Plymouth University deployed six

INW AquiStar conductivity, temperature and

pressure Smart Sensors alongside automatic water

samplers along a 5km section of the Fingle Brook

(a tributary of the River Teign) in order to assess

the impact of contaminated road runoff from the

A30 and to assess pollution loads derived from

other sources in the catchment (2x sewage

treatment works and historical mine works).

The data-loggers in the Fingle Brook recorded

clear conductivity fluctuations that could be

characterised as both flow related pollution events

derived from the road surface and historic mining

workings, and diurnal signatures derived from

sewage effluent discharges at various locations

along the watercourse.

This data allowed more detailed monitoring work

to be targeted at the most likely sources and for

tailored mitigation measures to be designed and

implemented.

wavelength-environmental.co.uk/

case-studies.html



Source Apportionment GIS (SAGIS) Tool

UKWIR & Environment Agency

The Source Apportionment-GIS (SAGIS) modelling

framework was developed through UWKIR

research project WW02: Chemical Source

Apportionment under the WFD (UKWIR, 2012) with

support from the Environment Agency. The

primary objective of this research was to develop a

common modelling framework as the basis for

deriving robust estimates of pollution source

contributions that would be used to support both

water company business plans and the EA River

Basin Planning process.

The SAGIS Tool quantifies the loads of pollutants

to surface waters in the UK from 12 point and

diffuse sources including wastewater treatment

works discharges, intermittent discharges from

sewerage and runoff, agriculture, soil erosion, mine

water drainage, septic tanks and industrial inputs

(UKWIR project WW02).

Loads are converted to concentrations in river

waters using the SIMulation of CATchments

(SIMCAT) water quality model, which is

incorporated within SAGIS, so that the contribution

to in-stream concentrations from individual

sources can be quantified.

Diffuse sources of nutrient pollution are

incorporated into SAGIS from the Phosphorus and

Sediment Yield Characterisation In Catchments

(PSYCHIC) model (developed by a consortium of

academic and government organisations led by

ADAS Water Quality).

The SAGIS report and tool are available to

purchase from UKWIR (£600 + fees for additional

data licencing), but is also made available to water

companies and the Environment Agency have

made some outputs available through the CaBA

Data Package.

www.ukwir.org/ukwirlibrary/94997



Fieldmouse

Environment Agency

The Fieldmouse modelling tool helps you target

landscape sources of diffuse pollution, it routes

and decays diffuse loads from Farmscoper and

similar through the catchment and provides an

easy visual assessment of which sources contribute

most to the observed concentration.

It has been designed to provide within catchment

targeting for the CSF project.

Fieldmouse is a steady-state, spatially distributed

catchment model. It uses outputs from the Soil and

Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to estimate

losses and decay during transport through the

landscape.

Development work is underway to allow

Fieldmouse to run within the GLUE framework

allowing probabilistic outputs.

The conceptual simplicity and visual outputs of

Fieldmouse give the model the ability to be used in

a participatory modelling environment. The

benefits of participatory modelling in terms of

improved model acceptance by stakeholders and

policy makers have been widely recognised.

The Fieldmouse model and the input data required

can be obtained freely, under an EA open license

with CaBA hosts. However access to ArcGIS

Desktop software and the ArcGIS Spatial Analyst

extension are required to use the model.

Email: john.douglass@environment-

agency.gov.uk



Scottish Borders Land Use Strategy Pilot

Scottish Borders Council (Tweed Forum & Dundee University)

The National Land Use Strategy (LUS) seeks a more

integrated approach to land management decision

making, in recognition of the increasing number of

pressures and demands placed upon the

countryside.

The Scottish Borders LUS pilot aims to develop a

map based tool and Framework. The tool will be

hosted on the Scottish Borders Council website.

The background framework will be no-statutory

and non-regulatory.

The LUS involves widespread stakeholder

engagement. The LUS approach records the

Scottish Borders natural assets/capital resource in

map format and identifies where opportunities

might exist for the enhancement and expansion of

particular ecosystem service functions.

Stakeholders have identified 7 land use priorities

for opportunity mapping: i.e. food production,

native woodland expansion, timber production,

flood water management, areas for biodiversity

enhancement, soil carbon storage and diffuse

pollution control.

Areas where multiple ecosystem benefits can be

achieved (and where constraints may arise) are also

being mapped.

An explanatory Land Use Strategy pilot Framework

is being drafted to sit alongside the mapping tool.

It is intended for use by anyone involved in land

management decision making and their advisors.

The developing Framework could be used to help

target future Scottish Rural Development

Programme priorities.

The LUS pilot is due to report to Scottish

Government in March 2015. The findings will be

used by the Scottish Government to inform the

National Land Use Strategy for the period 2016-

2021.

www.tweedforum.org/lus

Image: Tweed Forum



SCIMAP

Sim Reaney, University of Durham (with various partners)

SCIMAP is a risk-mapping framework designed to

identify where in the landscape diffuse pollution is

most likely to be originating. SCIMAP does not try

to make quantitative predictions in real world units

(e.g. mg l-1

) but rather works in relative terms

across the landscape and identifies the most

probable sources of the observed problem.

SCIMAP is based on the identification of locations

of critical source areas within the landscape. These

areas are where there is a source of a problem (fine

sediment for example) and a connection from the

source location to the river or lake. The locations of

the source areas and connection are calculated

from a detailed digital elevation model, land cover

and rainfall information.

For the desktop version of the software, some GIS

knowledge is required to handle the spatial data.

The web based version will require less GIS

knowledge and integrates with Google Earth for

visualization of the results.

The software is free to use for non-commercial use

(i.e. when you are not charging someone else to

use the software). Commercial licenses are

available from Durham University. The required

data needs to be purchased separately.

All of the information required to use SCIMAP,

including a series of tutorial videos, conference

presentations and all of the original scientific

research papers can be found on the SCIMAP

website.

www.scimap.org.uk



Catchment Water Quality Risk Assessments

Westcountry Rivers Trust & The Rivers Trust

Between 2011 and 2013, South West Water

engaged the Westcountry Rivers Trust to

undertake all 17 of their National Environment

Programme (NEP) Catchment Investigations. The

project objective was to provide SWW with

detailed pollution risk assessment and source

apportionment evidence to inform their proposed

future catchment management projects that are

designed to achieve raw water quality

improvements.

In order to deliver the Catchment Investigations,

WRT developed a scalable methodology that can

be adapted to meet the specific requirements of

any study catchment.

The investigations also provide targeted and fully

costed intervention strategies for each of the study

catchments, which are designed to achieve the

most significant improvements in water quality

using the most cost‐effective and resource efficient

approach.

The outputs from these investigations have fed

directly into the SWW PR14 Business Plan and the

EA’s Drinking Water Protected Areas Safeguard

Zone Action Plans.

More recently in 2014, the WRT Data & Evidence

Team have delivered two pilot Natura 2000

Catchment Risk Assessment Reports for Natural

England. These reports, prepared for the River Axe

and Camel catchments, have further developed the

weight of evidence approach to determine the

pressures causing/threatening degradation of

designated site ecological condition, to determine

the sources of these pressures in the catchment

and to develop a targeted and costed programme

of interventions to mitigate their impact.

The reports produced are intended to be working

documents that become a shared resource used by

local groups to deliver tangible measures on the

ground.

In 2014/15, WRT and The Rivers Trust are now

continuing their work with Natural England to

create Water Quality Risk Assessments for 8

additional Natura 2000 catchments across England

and are exploring the potential for applying the

approach in other catchments with different

downstream drivers of water quality improvement.

youtu.be/R1RZ76otayc



Evidence & Measures

Defra, Environment Agency & other partners (e.g. Eden Rivers Trust)

The Evidence and Measures ‘approach’ is not a

model or fixed method, but more a mind-set. It

uses information that is already available and turns

the relevant bits into evidence related to suspected

causes of problems. It then helps stakeholders

reach consensus on the main causes and agree

what to do about them (measures).

Evidence and Measures take the stakeholders' list

of suspected causes to the catchment's problems,

gather relevant information (Environment Agency

datasets, old reports, anecdotal information, GIS

layers etc.), do some processing in Excel and GIS

and draw out evidence for or against suspected

causes. They then summarise this evidence for

stakeholders in Evidence Tables so they can

efficiently evaluate it in a workshop and then move

to setting remedial measures.

Using the outputs for guidance, Evidence and

Measures think all CaBA groups could use part (or

all) of this evidence-based approach: for thorny

issues, problem areas of a catchment or where the

stakeholders disagree about what to do.

The experience of the project team is that the

subsequent release of funds for measures agreed

by stakeholders is about ten times the cost of the

initial Evidence and Measures work.

Perhaps the most well known application of the

approach was the 2010 the River Petteril Evidence

and Measures Project (funded by DEFRA and

Environment Agency) The aim of the project was to

bring together people with different sources of

knowledge and information about the river to work

out what had caused its water quality and wildlife

to decline and what could be done about it.


vimeo.com/62155911

In a stakeholder-led catchment planning processes we can work together to develop

a common understanding of the current and future issues that relate to the

environmental health of the catchment. We can also work to identify what needs to

be done and where it should be delivered to a create healthy, functional ecosystem

that deliver the optimal blend of benefits that they want and need now and in the

future.

Having developed a targeted and tailored plan of what needs to done and where in a

catchment, we then need to go and deliver catchment management interventions

that will achieve the best possible environmental and economic benefits for all of the

interested parties.

3 Deliver targeted & integrated


3

Image: WRT



Catchment Sensitive Farming

Defra, Natural England & Environment Agency

Funded by DEFRA and the Rural Development

Programme for England, Catchment Sensitive

Farming (CSF) is a joint initiative between the

Environment Agency and Natural England that has

been established in a number of priority

catchments across England.

Overall, CSF has two principle aims: (1) to save

farms money by introducing careful nutrient and

pesticide planning, reduce soil loss and help

farmers meet their statutory obligations such as

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones, and (2) to deliver

environmental benefits such as reducing water

pollution, cleaner drinking water, safer bathing

water, healthier fisheries, thriving wildlife and lower

flood risk for the whole community.

To achieve these goals CSF delivers practical

solutions and targeted support which should

enable farmers and land managers to take

voluntary action to reduce diffuse water pollution

from agriculture to protect water bodies and the

environment.

Catchment Sensitive Farming Officers work with

independent specialists from the farming

community to deliver free advice tailored to the

area and farming sector. This advice includes

workshops, farm events and individual farm

appraisals. CSF also offer capital grants, at up to

60% of the total funding, to deliver improvements

in farm infrastructure.

As part of the Catchment Sensitive Farming

programme, Natural England have also undertaken

an evaluation study to demonstrate the benefits

that the delivery of advice and measures have

realised. In addition to a summary report, Natural

England have also produced a number of case

studies and technical reports covering specific

areas; such as, advice and education delivery, water

quality monitoring and environmental modelling.

www.gov.uk/catchment-sensitive-

farming-reduce-agricultural-water-

pollution

Image: WRT



Upstream Thinking

South West Water & various delivery partners

South West Water (SWW) in collaboration with a

group of regional conservation charities, including

the Westcountry Rivers Trust, the county Wildlife

Trusts for Devon and Cornwall and The Farming

and Wildlife Advisory Group, have established one

of the largest and most innovative conservation

projects in the UK: the ‘Upstream Thinking

Initiative’.

This project will deliver over £9 million worth of

strategic land restoration in the Westcountry

between 2010 and 2015, and an even greater

amount over the 2015-2020 funding programme.

The ‘provider is paid’ funding mechanism used in

Upstream Thinking is, perhaps, the most innovative

aspect of the project. SWW have recognized that it

is cheaper to help farmers deliver cleaner raw

water (water in rivers and streams) than it is to pay

for the expensive filtration equipment required to

treat polluted water after it is abstracted from the

river for drinking.

SWW believe that water consumers will be better

served and in a more cost‐effective manner if they

spend money raised from water bills on catchment

restoration in the short term rather than on water

filtration in the long term.

The Upstream Thinking Initiative has seen a wide

array of innovative catchment management and

other environmental interventions delivered,

including: mires restoration, culm grassland

restoration by Devon Wildlife Trust, pesticide

advice and guidance by Cornwall Wildlife Trust and

a reverse auction by Westcountry Rivers Trust in

partnership with the University of East Anglia.

In the first scheme of this kind in the UK, an

auction was successfully used to distribute funds

from a water company to farmers, investing in

capital items to improve water quality. The scheme

offered SWW the opportunity to work directly with

researchers from the University of East Anglia to

devise an innovative mechanism for paying for the

delivery of ecosystem services via their Upstream

Thinking scheme.

www.upstreamthinking.org

www.wrt.org.uk/catchments.html

Image: WRT



Sustainable Catchment Management Programme (SCaMP)

United Utilities & various delivery partners

The aims of the SCaMP initiative are to help; (1)

protect and improve water quality, (2) reduce the

rate of increase in raw water colour which will

reduce future revenue costs, (3) reduce or delay

the need for future capital investment for

additional water treatment, (4) deliver government

targets for SSSIs, (5) ensure a sustainable future for

the company's agricultural tenants, (6) enhance

and protect the natural environment, and (7) help

these moorland habitats to become more resilient

to long term climate change.

In addition to their work on SCaMP, United Utilities

have also commissioned an number of catchment

investigations in recent years and they continue to

develop plans for a programme of catchment

management in their currently business plan.

corporate.unitedutilities.com/scamp

-index.aspx

The Sustainable Catchment Management

Programme (SCaMP), has been developed by

United Utilities in association with the Royal

Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). The

programme aims to apply an integrated approach

to catchment management across all of the 56,385

hectares of land United Utilities own in the North

West, which they hold to protect the quality of

water entering the reservoirs.

Through the delivery of SCaMP United Utilities is

recognised within the UK water industry as being

at the forefront of water company-funded

catchment management scheme that are aiming to

secure multiple benefits at a landscape scale.

Over the last 30 years there has been a substantial

increase in the levels of colour in the water sources

prior to treatment from many upland catchments.

The removal of colour requires additional process

plant, chemicals, power and waste handling to

meet increasingly demanding drinking water

quality standards. To address this, expensive

capital solutions are often required at a water

works which result in significant increases in annual

operational costs.

Image: United Utilities



Wessex Water Catchment Management

Wessex Water

Wessex Water's award winning catchment

management initiative began in 2005, with the

objective of stabilising and then reducing the levels

of contaminant at water sources so no additional

treatment is required. They work with local farmers

and landowners in the catchment areas of the

boreholes and reservoirs to safeguard the quality

of ground and surface waters.

Working together with local farmers and

landowners means they can influence and

implement changes in agricultural land use and

practice to reduce the levels of nitrate and

pesticide that enter the ground and surface water

environments. Methods adopted include data

sharing, advice, practical help and, in some

circumstances, financial incentives. They also liaise

closely with various organisations including the

National Farmers’ Union (NFU) on catchment

management initiatives.

Since the Wessex Water catchment management

programme began in 2005 there have been no

nitrate exceedances in treated water at any of their

‘at risk’ catchments. In addition, they no longer

require additional treatment for pesticides and

metaldehyde removal at one groundwater site and

two surface reservoirs.

These real, measurable outcomes not only provide

cost savings for Wessex Water and its customers,

but also for catchment farmers in terms of

optimised and reduced use of nutrients and

pesticides.

Wessex Water have published a report which

explains their programme, includes case studies

and sets out proposals for the future.

tinyurl.com/ntjzabo

Image: River Piddle Dorset by Jim Linwood (Flickr CC2.0)



Environmental Stewardship

Defra, Natural England & various delivery partners

pollution has affected local rivers, farmers will be

able to apply for funding to reduce soil erosion

and run-off from their fields.

The existing Environmental Stewardship and

England Woodland Grant Scheme will be brought

together into a universal scheme that will be open

to applications from both farmers and foresters.

During EU negotiations on the Common

Agricultural Policy, the UK pressed for each country

to have the option to channel a greater proportion

of CAP funding into delivering environmental

benefits. As a result, £3.1billion of funding will be

available for environmental schemes in England

which is a higher proportion of the CAP budget

than ever before.

Defra has announced plans for England’s EU’s

Young Farmers Scheme to give extra support to

farmers under forty years of age and their

intention to apply this support to the maximum

land area of farms.

tinyurl.com/kaebdyy

Environmental Stewardship is a land management

scheme that provides funding to farmers and other

land managers in England to deliver effective

environmental management on your land. There

are currently 3 levels to the scheme:

Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) – includes Uplands

ELS (UELS): simple and effective land

management agreements with priority options

(now closed for new applications)

Organic Entry Level Stewardship (OELS) –

includes Uplands OELS: organic and organic/

conventional mixed farming agreements

Higher Level Stewardship (HLS): more complex

types of management and agreements tailored

to local circumstances

From 2016, the new environmental land

management scheme will be targeted so that

farmers can help deliver environmental priorities

specifically related to their local area, focussing

particularly on increasing biodiversity, helping

wildlife and improving water quality.

For example, if one area is home to rare farmland

birds, farmers will be reimbursed for enhancing

this habitat. If, in another area, agricultural

Image: WRT



LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming)

LEAF

LEAF is the leading organisation promoting

sustainable food and farming. They help farmers

produce good food, with care and to

high environmental standards, identified in-store

by the LEAF Marque logo.

LEAF attempts to build public understanding of

food and farming in a number of ways,

including; Open Farm Sunday, Let Nature Feed

Your Senses and year round farm visits to our

national network of Demonstration Farms.

LEAF is also an industry partner in the Campaign

for the Farmed Environment (CFE), which is an

opportunity for their members to demonstrate

their commitment to protecting and enhancing the

farmed environment.

As part of the Campaign, farmers are asked to

ensure that a third of their ELS points come from a

list of key target options. These include options

which result in cleaner water and healthier soil,

protect farmland birds and encourage wildlife and

biodiversity.

LEAF also provide a wide array of educational and

best practice guidance resources on their website,

including their Water Management Tool, which

offers farmers a complete health check for water

use on their farms, and the Simply Sustainable

Water Guidance booklet and film.

The Simply Sustainable Water booklet has been

produced to help farmers develop an effective on-

farm management strategy for efficient water use

and to improve their farm’s contribution to

protecting water in the environment. It allows

farmers to get the best from this valuable resource,

improve awareness of the importance of water and

track changes in water use and quality over time.

Based on Six Simple Steps to help improve the

performance, health and long term sustainability of

their land, farmers are encouraged to set a

baseline by assessing their water use and their

water sources. The six key measures are: (1) water

saving measures, (2) protecting water sources, (3)

soil management, (4) managing drainage, (5)

tracking water use, and (6) water availability and

sunshine hours.

www.leafuk.org

Image: WRT



Voluntary Initiative

Various sponsors & partners

Establish a low-cost sprayer testing scheme

(NSTS) with a nationwide network of 294 testing

centres and 465 certificated testers.

Establish the National Register of Spray

Operators (NRoSO), through which spray

operators can demonstrate a commitment to

best practice in pesticide handling and

application.

Create a series of Environmental Information

Sheets as an aid to risk management for all

products sold by members of the Crop

Protection Association.

www.voluntaryinitiative.org.uk

The Voluntary Initiative (VI) began in April 2001. It

is a UK-wide package of measures, agreed with

Government, designed to reduce the

environmental impact of the use of pesticides in

agriculture, horticulture and amenity situations.

Initially a list of 27 proposals, the programme

finally included over 40 different projects covering

research, training, communication and

stewardship.

The combined cost of the programme between

2001 and 2006 to the farming industry, the crop

protection industry, the water industry and others

was estimated to be £45-47m, but during that time

they worked to:

Improve awareness among farmers of the

potential environmental risks arising from

pesticide use; improve the competence of

advisors, improve field practices of spray

operators and optimise their machines.

Engage the farming unions and establishment of

Crop Protection Management Plans (CPMPs) as

a self-audited means of assessing and planning

the environmental aspects of crop protection

activities across the whole farm.



Nature Improvement Areas

Various

Nature Improvement Areas (NIA) have been

established to create joined up and resilient

ecological networks at a landscape scale.

They are run by partnerships of local authorities,

local communities and landowners, the private

sector and conservation organisations with funding

provided by the Department for the Environment,

Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Natural England

The 12 winning NIA projects were chosen after a

competitive process announced in the Natural

Environment White Paper. These are areas that

have:

Opportunities to establish and improve

ecological networks by enlarging, enhancing and

connecting existing wildlife sites and creating

new sites.

A shared vision for the natural environment

among a wide partnership of local people,

including statutory and voluntary sectors

Surrounding land that can be better integrated

with valued landscapes by restoring wildlife

habitats and support natural processes adapt to

climate change impacts

Benefits to urban areas and communities, with,

where appropriate, ecological networks

extending into urban areas

‘Win-win’ opportunities that offer multiple

benefits, such as for: the water environment and

Water Framework Directive objectives; flood and

coastal erosion risk management, and the low-

carbon economy

Opportunities to inspire people through an

enhanced experience of the natural environment

The Northern Devon Nature Improvement Area

(NIA) is one example of a highly successful

partnership of 15 organisations working on the

river Torridge catchment, led by Devon Wildlife

Trust. The NIA is already delivering impressive

results, demonstrating that large and ambitious

landscape scale approaches really work and deliver

added value and multiple benefits to the

community living in the Torridge catchment.

www.northerndevonnia.org

youtu.be/q2wMk1s4dyc

Image: WRT Image: Gilles San Martin (Flickr CC2.0)



Working Wetlands

Devon Wildlife Trust

as well diluting diffuse pollutants and other

discharges into smaller headwater streams.

Wet tussocky Culm grasslands have been shown to

store 5 times more water than intensively managed

grasslands. Their soils are less compacted, much

deeper and richer in organic matter allowing them

to store and gradually release rainwater like a

leaking bucket.

Even when saturated, the rough tussocky structure

allows water to be stored above ground in

between and within the tussocks. These landscapes

also have fewer drainage routes for excess run-off

to reach the river network, thus storing more

floodwater in the landscape. These landscapes also

have much lower levels of nutrient and other

inputs from farming practices.

This technique is relevant to those managing land

in the headwaters of the Tamar, Torridge, Taw and

Exe catchments and is specific to the geology and

soils of the Culm NCA, but similar approaches to

wetland restoration would be effective in other

areas.

www.devonwildlifetrust.org/working

-wetlands

Devon Wildlife Trust's Working Wetlands Project is

now in its seventh year. New funding from a variety

of sources has enabled work to expand into new

areas and further their Culm grassland restoration

work in the Culm National Character Area.

Culm grasslands are the wet tussocky grassland

found on the poorly drained, clay soils of the Culm.

Elsewhere in the country, similar habitats are

referred to as Rhos Pasture, and there are other

strongholds in SW Wales and the west coasts of

Scotland and Ireland where the climatic and soil

conditions are similar.

They are an internationally important habitat, and

home to some of the nation’s most threatened

wildlife, such as the marsh fritillary butterfly and

the narrow-bordered bee hawk-moth.

Restoring extensive wet tussock grasslands in river

headwaters in the Culm National Character Area

(NCA), is shown to increase the water storage

capacity in the upper catchment, reducing peak

flows during high rainfall, and ensuring more

constant base flows during droughts.

Healthy base flows are key to maintaining

invertebrate and fish populations during droughts,

Image: Devon Wildlife Trust



Futurescapes

RSPB

Futurescapes is a project run by the RSPB; it has a

large partnership of fellow environment

organisations including local communities,

businesses and government bodies.

Due to decades of habitat loss, the most

threatened UK species are hemmed into

fragmented habitats, mostly in protected areas.

However, it is evident from current conservation

research that this method of conservation is not

enough.

The Futurescapes project aims to reconnect

specific areas of land that were formally

fragmented to provide a rich habitat for wildlife

and diverse, green spaces for people to enjoy.

The project aims to tackle the challenges to wildlife

and society in the following ways:

Build a good partnership with stakeholders to

develop a shared vision for the future, and to

work together to deliver it.

Create more space for nature, by increasing the

size of areas that are managed primarily for

nature conservation.

Making the countryside a better place for

wildlife to adapt to climate change pressures,

and by managing land in ways that help species

move in response to climate change

Putting nature conservation at the heart of

human responses to new pressures on the

countryside, such as bioenergy production and

new infrastructure development.

The RSPB currently has nearly 40 Futurescapes

initiatives around the UK, and plan to expand the

programme to more than 80 places. Two projects

are in the Cairngorms National Park. The Badenoch

and Strathspey Farmed Floodplain Futurescape

encompass grasslands, wetlands, arable mosaics of

the floodplain and tributaries of the River Spey.

Work has focused on facilitating successful Scottish

Rural Development Programme applications,

providing training and enabling free use of rush

management machinery.

You can find our priority areas on the map on the

Futurescapes website.

www.rspb.org.uk/

whatwedo/futurescapes

Image: Grey wagtail by Luc Viatour (Flickr CC2.0)



Keeping Rivers Cool


To support the identification of key areas to target

and increase riparian shade, LiDAR (Light Detection

And Ranging) data for England and Wales is used

to produce accurate maps of riparian tree

distribution, indicating where the gaps are. The

measure of incoming solar radiation indicates the

likely amount of shade created by the landscape as

well as shading caused by existing vegetation.

It is recognised that riparian shading is not a stand

-alone measure to managing warming in rivers, but

it is a low-risk reversible action and a good start to

keeping rivers cool.

www.asfb.org.uk/keeping-rivers-cool

-new-guidance-for-river-managers

Keeping Rivers Cool is a four year (2012-2016)

Environment Agency led climate change

adaptation project focused on using trees to keep

rivers cool. This approach aims to address the

pressures of climate change on freshwater

ecosystems. The targeted catchments have been

the Wye, Hampshire Avon, Tyne, Ribble, Frome and

the Tywi.

Evidence indicates that some salmon and trout

populations in England and Wales are under stress

from climate change, with some rivers reaching

above the lethal limit for salmonids in recent hot,

dry summers. It has been shown that riparian trees

can help reduce local stream temperatures on hot

summer days. Summer mean and maximum water

temperatures are on average 2-3ºC lower in

shaded versus open rivers.

The Environment Agency has been working with

charitable trusts such as the Woodland Trust and

the Rivers Trusts to plant trees and install riparian

fencing in appropriate sites. The approach aims to

create a mosaic of tree cover along riparian banks,

rather than a blanket cover which could have a

negative impact on other aspects of river ecology.

Image: Keeping Rivers Cool—Ribble Rivers Trust



Water Stewardship

WWF & business partners

From the United Nations to rural communities to

corporate boardrooms, water issues are on the

agenda as never before. WWF helps governments

and businesses work together to better manage

this essential resource.

But water stewardship is more than corporate

strategy. It touches people's lives and changes the

way we interact with nature.

Water Stewardship goes beyond being an efficient

water user. It means contributing to the

responsible, sustainable management of

freshwater resources. WWF's work on water

stewardship helps governments, companies,

investors and others understand their water

footprints and become better water stewards.

But the journey doesn’t end there. Beyond water

footprints and reducing the impact of individual

water users, WWF urges companies to look outside

their own operations. We are helping redefine the

role of the private sector in advocating, supporting

and promoting better basin governance, for the

benefit of people and nature.

In the UK, WWF are engaging with individual

businesses to reduce the impacts of their water

use. WWF is the partner of choice for The Coca-

Cola Company, SABMiller, H&M and Marks &

Spencer, among others, to identify opportunities

for enhanced water stewardship. They facilitate

private sector engagement with public policy to

conserve water resources in our priority river

basins.

WWF are also promoting public sector water

stewardship at the river basin level. This includes

measuring water use and impacts at the river basin

level, demonstrating solutions for reducing these

impacts, and promoting national and international

policies that encourage good water stewardship

and ensure environmental flows.

tinyurl.com/khcvd8r



Farm Crap App

SWARM Knowledge Hub & Rothamsted Research North Wyke

in order to meet the crop requirements.

The image library can be used as a visual reference

guide to estimate the spreading rate of manure

applied to the field and calculate the amount of

crop available nutrients that have been applied.

The app will also keep records of field spreading

events which can be emailed to the office

computer for inclusion in farm records.

The app is available on Apple and Android devices,

through the Google Play or iTunes stores. Click on

the relevant picture below to go to the home page

for the app.

www.swarmhub.co.uk/fca

fo.am/farm-crap-app

A new manure management application, 'The Farm

Crap App' is designed to help farmers and growers

value the nutrients found in organic manures.

The app, developed by the SWARM Knowledge

Hub in collaboration with Rothamsted Research

North Wyke allows the farming community to

appreciate the nutritive and economic value of

livestock manures.

Farmers are able to visually assess manures and

slurry application rates and calculate what is being

provided in terms of available nutrients as well as

giving an estimate of potential savings in artificial

fertilisers.

The data is based on Defra's RB209 Fertiliser

Manual values for crop available nutrients along

with the industry produced publication Think

Manures and allows you to select different

seasons, types of manures and crops growing to

see what the manure will provide in terms of

fertiliser.

Within the app, the calculator determines the

amount of crop available nutrients that are found

within manures spread at different rates. This helps

with decisions on how much to spread



Tweed Natural Flood Management (NFM) Programme

Tweed Forum

A restoration programme has been developed

which will both restore natural habitats and help

reduce the risk of flooding to the main Border

towns.

NFM measures focus on key areas of sub-

catchments including the upper valley and hill

slopes (which are the main sources of flood water

to the river); the valley bottom or floodplain and

the channels and habitats of the river itself. It’s

primarily about reducing surface water run-off

rates and increasing storage.

The project is working in 5 sub-catchments of the

Tweed at 59 individual sites. NFM measures being

put in place include: Blocking hill drains (mostly in

peat bogs), planting hill slope and gully (native)

woodlands, placing log jams across minor

watercourses, undertaking bankside revetment,

creating water retention ponds, re-meandering

rivers, planting transverse hedges and planting

floodplain (native) woodlands.

Funding for the work comes from a wide variety of

public and private sources including; the Scottish

Rural Development Programme (SRDP), the

Scottish Government, voluntary carbon

contributions and Wind Farm Biodiversity Offset

funding schemes.

The scheme is targeted to catchments where there

a flood risk (either to settlements downstream or

to land and agricultural infrastructure) at specific

locations where the most benefit to reducing

surface water flow rates can be achieved.

www.tweedforum.org/projects

Image: Tweed Forum



Camel Invasives

Natural England & Westcountry Rivers Trust

riparian habitats, the Westcountry Rivers Trust

(WRT) have been working in partnership with

Natural England on the INNS issue within the

Camel Catchment for several years.

The River Camel INNS work originally began in

2004 and dependent on funding, has continued in

one form of project or another for WRT ever since.

The most recent 2014 project follows on from

these previous projects in an effort to control the

spread of Himalyan Balsam (Impatiens

glandulifera), Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia

japonica) and a single site of American Skunk

cabbage (Lysichiton americanus) on the River

Camel.

The focus for Natural England has been a number

of SSSI units which are being pushed into

unfavourable and/or declining condition. The

project has been delivered using carefully selected

methods conducted by experienced contractors.

This ensures that the River Camel is managed in an

appropriate manner, aiding in the prevention and

spread of INNS further down the catchment.

The River Camel is an important catchment which

runs from the source on Bodmin Moor to the north

Cornish coast, and its tributaries cover varied and

valued habitats. It is notable for a number of

species such as Otter, Atlantic Salmon and

Bullhead which has led to Special Area of

Conservation (SAC) and Site of Special Scientific

Interest (SSSI) status across a large percentage of

its length.

Due to the conservation status, the catchment is of

great interest to Natural England (NE) in its role to

protect and preserve species and habitats, and to

encourage farmers and landowners to play a role

in its protection also – either statutory

requirements such as closely managed operations

within SSSIs or through uptake of Agri-

Environment Schemes such as Higher Level

Stewardship (HLS).

Invasive Non Native Species (INNS) pose a threat

to some of our most valued habitats across the UK.

On the River Camel catchment INNS are limited, at

present, to plant species only as far as records

indicate.

As part of a holistic approach to improve river and

Image: Himalayan balsam by Natubico (Flickr CC3.0)



Tweed Invasives Project

Tweed Forum

Invasive species such as Giant Hogweed, Japanese

Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam, pose a serious

threat to our natural heritage by out-competing

native species. They can out-compete because the

natural checks and balances (e.g. predation) which

native species are subject to do not affect non-

native species.

The Project uses various elimination methods,

including spraying (with certified herbicides) and

hand-pulling, to ensure that these damaging

invasive species are prevented from flowering each

year. For plants such as Giant Hogweed, with a

seed-life of up to 12 years, this is vital in ensuring

the eventual eradication of the species from the

Tweed catchment.

The Project is a close collaboration between Tweed

Forum staff and local landowners, farmers, ghillies,

fishermen and volunteers. This means that the

control work is carried out in partnership, a key

factor in the success and longevity of our work.

After 10 years of catchment-wide control, Giant

Hogweed coverage is greatly reduced and all

plants have been prevented from flowering. This

means that the seedbank for this species should be

decreasing year on year making eventual

eradication more likely.

Japanese Knotweed has proved more challenging

to control, however, it is more widespread than

previously thought. A number of control methods

have been trialled but the method of manually

chopping the Japanese Knotweed down and then

spraying down the stems appeared the most

successful, with patches treated in this manor

vastly reduced in density and abundance.

The status of Himalayan Balsam control in the Till

sub-catchment is heartening with a steady

decrease in the presence of this species.

During the initial years of control, hand pulling was

the method of control adopted, however, this

proved to be very slow and costly, making it

impossible to cover the whole river. In 2007, the

decision was taken to use chemical control and a

clear reduction in infestation has shown that this

Himalayan Balsam does respond relatively quickly

to coordinated control.

www.tweedforum.org/projects/

current-projects/tweed_invasives

Image: WRT



Restoring & Managing Wetlands Using Native Eurasian Beavers

Devon Wildlife Trust

Currently the use of beavers is restricted to a

limited number of fenced sites. However DWT has

submitted an application to monitor the impacts of

the animals living wild on the River Otter.

www.devonwildlifetrust.org/devon-

beaver-project

A wide range of British wetland species depend on

the habitats created by this once widespread

keystone species.

Beavers create complex wetland mosaics, creating

ponds, canals, mires and braided streams, and

coppicing trees like willow as aspen to maintain

open grassland habitats within the mosaic. Their

wetlands store water in headwaters reducing

flooding and ameliorating the impacts of droughts,

and trapping pollutants.

This vegetarian animal coppices trees to

regenerate fresh young shoots, and grazes grasses

and other bankside vegetation. Beavers feel safe

in water and create canals and ponds to expand,

explore and exploit the riparian corridor.

In headwaters they build leaky dams to create

open water where little exists. As well as providing

extensive habitats for wetland species, the dams

trickle water into the headwaters providing healthy

base-flows, and reducing flooding.

Further downstream they coppice riverside trees,

bringing light to more shaded areas and creating

habitats for invertebrates and fish.

Image: David Plummer www.davidplummerimages.co.uk



SuDS for Schools

Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Environment Agency & Thames Water

The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is working

in partnership with the Environment Agency and

Thames Water to protect streams and rivers from

pollution, and to ease the strain on existing

drainage systems

As rainwater flows over hard surfaces such as roofs

and roads, it collects pollution, dirt and debris.

This water currently flows into underground pipes

and can go directly in to your local stream or river,

damaging the health of that water body. WWT

wants to improve the quality of surface water

entering streams and rivers and keep them healthy

for the benefit of wildlife and local communities.

The SuDS for Schools Project aims to build

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in ten

schools within the Pymmes Brook Catchment in

North London. SuDS mimic natural processes by

catching and slowing the flow of rain water to

streams and rivers, and filtering it to remove

pollution along the way. SuDS also aim to keep

water on the surface rather than being directed

into underground pipes. Examples of SuDS include

rain gardens, swales, detention basins, some types

of ponds, reedbeds and green roofs.

This project helps schools and their local

communities to:

Naturalise and ‘green’ outdoor spaces

Improve the health of local rivers

Provide habitats for wildlife and increase school

biodiversity levels

Save water

Reduce local flooding

Develop whole school understanding related to

environmental conservation and sustainability

Learn outdoors

Forge closer links with the local community and

become a hub for interested parties including

businesses and other schools

Increase school profile through local and regional

media

Develop community understanding related to

environmental conservation and sustainability

www.sudsforschools.wwt.org.uk

Image: Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust



SuDS Guidance & Best Practice

Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust & Environment Agency

management options that fit the definition of

sustainable drainage. It also reviews their cost and

effectiveness in helping to meet the objectives of

the Water Framework Directive, to reduce flood

risk and adapt to climate change.

The techniques described focus on intercepting

run-off and trapping sediment before it leaves the

field. This can provide additional benefits such as

temporarily capturing water and slowing down

flow which can help reduce localised flooding and

provide valuable micro-aquatic habitats in the right

circumstances. Options explored in the report

include trenches, wetlands, retention ponds and

buffers and many of these features can be further

enhanced by sediment traps as part of the design.

The report contends that whilst rural SuDS may be

more complex to create compared to a simple

buffer strip, they also provide a number of

additional benefits for the landowner and can

increase the effectiveness of existing features such

as buffer strips, walls and new hedgerows.

tinyurl.com/nm2ywpt

Together with the RSPB, the Wildfowl & Wetlands

Trust (WWT) have produced a publication detailing

how to design and install efficient SuDS. The guide

is aimed at aimed at local authorities, (and

eventual SuDS Approving Bodies (SABs)),

landscape architects, developers, engineers, master

-planners and anyone wishing to deliver benefits

for people and wildlife through SuDS.

Using best practice case studies, the guide

complements existing guidelines and identifies

design features and criteria to maximise ecological

benefits.

www.wwt.org.uk/conser vation/

sav ing-wet lands-and-wi ld l i fe/

influencing-action/guidance

In 2012, the Environment Agency published a

report on Rural Sustainable Drainage Systems

(RSuDS). The report was compiled by Macaulay

Institute with the aim of compiling an inventory of

Rural SuDS that are appropriate for use in

agricultural systems. It also describes their relative

cost and effectiveness in farming systems.

The report provides a list of existing land



The Sheffield Waterways Strategy

South Yorkshire Forest, the River Stewardship Company & various partners

The Sheffield Waterways Strategy shows an

inspiring vision of Sheffield’s rivers by 2022; once

again providing places where people choose to

live, work and invest.

The strategy has been prepared by a partnership

between voluntary sector groups and statutory

organisations, all of whom have an active role in

the care and regeneration of Sheffield waterways.

The aim of the group is to promote co-ordinated

regeneration of our waterways.

Sheffield has over 150 miles of rivers and streams

which, to a large extent, are responsible for the

character of the city that we know today. Sheffield

rivers and streams are major assets to the city and

the Strategy will help deliver sustainable

regeneration for future generations.

The vision for Sheffield rivers by 2022 includes

watercourses and river corridors as defining

features of a modern competitive, sustainable and

attractive city, rich in wildlife and offering a

wonderful quality of life to residents, workers and

visitors.

It is hoped the Strategy will help re-engage local

people, inspiring them to volunteer with their local

friends group by joining river clean ups, attending

river themed community events and supporting

future funding bids.

One of the key delivery partners in the Sheffield

Waterways Strategy is local The River Stewardship

Company who work to improve the waterways for

people and wildlife in and around Sheffield.

The RSC passionately believe in the value of well

maintained waterways

As beautiful places for people to relax and enjoy

As rich habitats for wildlife

As desirable settings for businesses and residents

The RSC are committed to delivering high quality

practical riverside management work on behalf of

private, public and third sector customers.

The RSC campaign for better care of our waterways

and run projects to inform and involve local young

people and volunteers in waterway improvements

and fun waterside activities and events.

www.southyorkshireforest.co.uk

wwww.the-rsc.co.uk

Image: Five Weirs Walk in Sheffield by Tim Ellis (Flickr CC2.0)



Regenerating Parks in London

Local Authorities, Environment Agecy & local delivery partners

all designed to create more sustainable drainage

and reduce flooding. This restoration also gave the

park a new entrance, adventure playground and

tennis courts.

tinyurl.com/nbcgao6

The restoration of the Mayes Brook in Mayesbrook

Park, in the London Borough of Barking and

Dagenham, has created an ecological and

community focal point within a broader

environmental regeneration project. It was

designed to produce the UK’s first climate change

adaptation public park. The restoration of an urban

river within a barren park landscape is also a good

example of an approach that combines flood

storage, biodiversity enhancement and adaptation

to climate change within a city environment.

thamesriverstrust.org.uk/projects/

mayesbrook-climate-change-park

Ladywell Fields, originally Ladywell Recreation

Ground is a public park in the London Borough of

Lewisham created from three historic fields. The

park, which consists of three adjoining fields,

extends to 22 hectares (54 acres) and follows the

course of the River Ravensbourne.

The River Ravensbourne is the major natural

feature of the park's three fields, but previous work

to reduce flooding had affected its aesthetic,

recreational and environmental value. The park

underwent enhancements in 2007/8 to the

northern Field to divert the river into main area of

the field creating a wonderful natural space where

river dipping and paddling is popular in the

Summer months.

Then in 2010/11, a major £2m project was funded

by the London Development Agency and won

‘best new public space’ in the London Planning

Awards 2011. Renovation, which was undertaken

by BDP and East Architecture, included redesigned

footpaths, river viewing platforms, an orchard and

meadows. The river channel was modified to create

a more naturalistic setting incorporating

backwaters, wetlands and riverside tree planting –

Image: Ladywell Field, Lewisham by Ellis Munro (Flickr CC2.0)

The principal, over-arching aim of any catchment management work is to improve

the water quality in our freshwater ecosystems and to make a significant contribution

to their attainment of good ecological status in accordance with requirements of the

EU Water Framework Directive. It is therefore vital that sufficient evidence is collected

to provide an objective and robust assessment of the improvements delivered.

Ultimately, we must be able to justify that the money spent and the interventions

delivered across the landscape have delivered significant improvements in water

quality (and have therefore made significant contributions to the delivery of good

ecological status of river catchments) and have generated significant secondary

financial, ecological and social benefits.

4 Use monitoring & modelling


4

Image: WRT



Ecological & water quality monitoring

Various

paired monitoring sites are immediately above and

below the point of intervention in connected

directional systems (i.e. rivers and streams). Such

sites are typically close together and can be

demonstrated to be the same or different prior to

intervention. Changes following intervention can

then be detected in the downstream site while the

upstream site will not be effected by the measures.

It is worth noting that, while these monitoring

approaches have been used very effectively to

demonstrate the effectiveness of environmental

measures in numerous small-scale experiments, as

the study site grows in size increased noise in the

system will tend to mask any improvements that

have been achieved. This problem means that the

demonstration of landscape- or catchment-scale

improvements through the delivery of

interventions is extremely challenging without a

sufficient level of delivery being achieved.

Having said this, a number of catchment-scale

programmes, such a the Defra Demonstration Test

Catchment Initiative have attempted to gather

evidence of this type.

Perhaps the best way to demonstrate the benefits

of a catchment or environmental management

programme is to undertake monitoring before and

after the intervention is delivered. In theory, if the

baseline (pre-intervention) condition is well

characterised, then it should be possible to detect

the changes resulting from the action taken.

The monitoring taken at these sites can be

designed to look at biological measures (such as

behaviour, biodiversity, community composition or

ecological health), variations in the chemical

composition of the water or soil (such as

concentrations and loads) or the physical

properties of the environment (such as hydrology,

temperature, morphology).

An alternative and/or additional approach to this

temporally controlled evaluation is to use matched

spatial control sites. These sites are identified as

having a similar baseline condition and character

to the test site, but do not receive the intervention.

Both sites are monitored before and after

intervention and differences between them after

intervention are recorded.

The simplest spatial control is achieved when the

Image: WRT



Defra Demonstration Test Catchments (DTC)

Various partners in each DTC consortium

Demonstration Test Catchments (DTC) is a UK

government-funded project designed to provide

robust evidence regarding how diffuse pollution

from agriculture can be cost-effectively controlled

to improve and maintain water quality in rural river

catchment areas.

The DTC project is currently working in four study

catchments in England, which are representative of

80% of UK soil-rainfall combinations and the major

farm types in England and Wales.

The catchments were selected in order to build on

existing infrastructure, datasets, knowledge and

farming contacts developed through previous and

ongoing initiatives, which have not previously been

well linked.

The catchments are also undergoing enhanced

monitoring through the England Catchment

Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative.

The Eden in Cumbria

The Wensum in Norfolk

The Avon in Hampshire - and the Tamar on the

Devon/Cornwall border in close association with

the Westcountry Rivers Trust.

DTC was established to address the gap in

empirical evidence on the cost-effectiveness of

combinations of diffuse pollution mitigation

measures at catchment scales. By setting up as a

platform with a community of researchers working

closely with local stakeholders (practitioners and

policy-delivery agents) and policy-makers.

DTC has three main roles:

As a programme of linked and co-ordinated

research projects to provide underpinning

research, from farm to catchment scale, that

informs policy and practical approaches

As a research platform: to host longer-term

collaborative research on diffuse pollution from

agriculture

As a demonstration and co-ordination activity to

demonstrate scientifically robust approaches to

diffuse pollution mitigation

www.demonstratingcatchmentmana

gement.net/

Image: Clouds over the Avon by Allan (Flickr CC2.0)



Effectiveness of Measures to Mitigate Diffuse Rural Pollution

Scottish Government & Sniffer

likely effectiveness of policy mechanisms in

meeting WFD objectives in 2015.

tinyurl.com/o3pafeb

In 2013 a second phase of this project was

concluded that aimed to predict the effectiveness

of SEPA/Scottish Government measures to mitigate

diffuse pollution and contribute to reducing

greenhouse gas emissions.

The hypothesis to be tested in this project is: ‘the

measures and approach described in the Rural

Diffuse Pollution Plan for Scotland will achieve

WFD objectives for catchments impacted by

diffuse pollution’.

Results from a modelling exercise will be used as

part of the overall assessment of the effectiveness

of measures and will subsequently help develop

policy for the next basin plan and Scotland Rural

Development Programme.

The overall objective of this project was to provide

an independent, evidence-based assessment of the

extent to which available policy implementation

options will tackle diffuse pollution by 2015.

The first phase of this project investigated the

feasibility of developing a Geographic Information

System (GIS) based screening tool for diffuse

pollution at the national scale, involving a review of

available modelling methodologies and datasets.

Relevant models to address individual pollutant

pressures and appropriate datasets were found to

have been developed in the past, but application

of a screening tool at such a large scale, covering

both rural and urban pressures, and considering all

pressures, had not been attempted before.

Nevertheless, it was concluded that a basic-level

screening tool for Scotland and Northern Ireland

was practicable and would be a significant

contribution to the characterisation of water body

catchments under the Water Framework Directive

(WFD).

The initial report produced, therefore, provides an

overview of diffuse pollution and an analysis of the

Image: Sean Dugan (Scottish Fisheries Coordination Centre)



Quantifying the Benefits of Catchment Management Initiatives

UKWIR

This report presents a framework and supporting

toolkit for assessing the benefits of catchment

management schemes.

Specifically it develops an approach for quantifying

the benefits; provides structured, step-by-step

guidance on undertaking a benefit assessment;

offers practical advice and guidance on assessing

effectiveness and monetising resulting benefits;

signposts further guidance, resources and tools;

and discusses how the results of the benefit

assessment may be used in a cost-effectiveness or

cost-benefit analysis.

The framework may be used to undertake a

qualitative, quantitative or monetary assessment of

the benefits (or negative dis-benefits) resulting

from a specific management intervention. The

framework may also be used in an appraisal to

forecast the benefits of one or more options

before a decision is made, or in an evaluation to

measure the benefits realised by an operational

scheme.

This information may be an end in itself, but is

more commonly input into a cost-effectiveness or

cost-benefit analysis to judge whether a scheme is

economically viable or to decide where to invest in

catchment management. This set of four Volumes

comprises a Benefit Assessment Framework, an

Overview Report, a Review of the Effectiveness of

Catchment Management Initiatives and Case

Studies.

www.ukwir.org/ukwirlibrary/95165

tinyurl.com/lqtus5r

Image: WRT



Catchment Management Evidence Review


The principal, over‐arching aim of any catchment

management work is to improve the water quality

in our freshwater ecosystems and to make a

significant contribution to their attainment of good

ecological status in accordance with requirements

of the EU Water Framework Directive. It is

therefore vital that sufficient evidence is collected

to provide an objective and robust assessment of

the improvements delivered.

In this review, Westcountry Rivers Trust explore the

data and evidence available, which, taken together,

demonstrate qualitatively and quantitatively that

the delivery of integrated catchment management

interventions can realise genuine improvements in

water quality. To support the evidence collected,

they have also summarised a number of case

studies which demonstrate catchment

management in action.

For each of the main groups of pollutants,

identified key sources of pollutant loads and

examined the impacts these pollutants have on the

aquatic environment, including how they translate

into a cost or risk to society. They have also

identified key mitigation measures for reducing

pollutant loads and evaluated the data and

evidence for the efficacy of these measures. This

process has also allowed them to identify the

interventions for which the evidence of efficacy

does not exist or where it does not exist at an

appropriate scale.

The review also addresses issues of scale and

reviews a selection of modelling tools that can be

used to predict the impact of interventions and

measures at a larger sub-catchment or whole-

catchment scale. It also explores the potential for

secondary environmental, economic and societal

benefits to result from the delivery of catchment

management interventions.

Finally the governance structures currently being

used to implement a catchment management-

based approach in the UK are reviewed and some

of the approaches now being adopted to create

catchment management plans are examined.

issuu.com/westcountryriverstrust

tinyurl.com/qc3htrk



CSF Evaluation

Natural England

Evaluation is a core part of the Catchment Sensitive

Farming (CSF) project: essential for assessing

delivery of objectives and benefits.

As part of the Catchment Sensitive Farming

programme, Natural England have undertaken an

evaluation study to demonstrate the benefits that

the delivery of advice and measures have realised.

Diffuse pollution is a complex issue and there is

significant uncertainty associated with measuring

the benefits of mitigation.

To address this, Natural England's approach draws

on data and information from a range of sources

to develop the overall evidence for the benefits of

CSF. These include:

Farmer engagement

Farmer awareness and attitude

Uptake of measures to control pollution

Pollutant losses and water quality

In addition to a comprehensive report, Natural

England have also produced a number of case

studies and technical reports covering specific

areas; such as, advice and education delivery, water

quality monitoring and environmental modelling.

publications.naturalengland.org.uk/

file/6538023361576960

publications.naturalengland.org.uk/

category/6919090



Farmscoper

ADAS

The FARM SCale Optimisation of Pollutant

Emission Reductions (FARMSCOPER) model is a

decision support tool that can be used to assess

diffuse agricultural pollutant loads on a farm and

quantify the impacts of farm pollution control

options on these pollutants.

FARMSCOPER allows unique farming systems to be

created, based on combinations of livestock,

cropping and manure management practices. The

pollutant losses and impacts of mitigation can then

be assessed for these farming systems.

The effect of a potential intervention is expressed

as a percentage reduction in the pollutant loss

from specific sources, areas or pathways.

The tool utilises a number of existing models :

Phosphorus and Sediment Yield Characterisation

in Catchments (PSYCHIC)

National Environment Agricultural Pollution-

Nitrate (NEAP-N)

National Ammonia Reduction Strategy

Evaluation System (NARSES)

MANure Nitrogen Evaluation Routine (MANNER)

IPPC method for methane and nitrous oxide.



Extended Export Co-Efficient Model (ECM+)

University of East Anglia & Westcountry Rivers Trust

Location and area of lakes and reservoirs with

modelled impact on pollutant load at outflow.

Farming practices: current uptake of Best

Management Practices and effectiveness in

reducing pollutant export.

What makes the ECM+ model such a powerful tool

is that it is constructed with the participation of

farmers, water company representatives and other

stakeholders in the catchment and this allows all of

the input data to be ‘ground-truthed’ before it is

added into the model. The model is also calibrated

at the sub-catchment level with real-world, in-

stream measurements of pollutant load derived

from Environment Agency monitoring data.

Another important component of the ECM+ model

is that, once it has been built, it is then possible to

develop and run a number of scenarios with the

stakeholders (which can include different blends of

both Best Management Practices on farms and

improved sewage treatment measures) and

observe their effects on the export of pollutants to

the watercourse.

youtu.be/XQsGUNxvyjA

The Extended Nutrient Export Coefficient Model

(ECM+) has been developed by the University of

East Anglia under the Rural Economy and Land Use

(RELU) Programme and part-funded by the

Westcountry Rivers Trust.

ECM+ has been developed to predict the effects

implementation of Best Management Practices

(BMP’s) (Cuttle et al. 2007) will have on sediment,

faecal indicator organisms (FIOs), phosphorus and

nitrogen inputs into watercourses.

Put simply, the model uses export coefficients for

different land-use types to calculate exports of

these pollutants based on the following input data:

Landuse distribution—including urban and

various agricultural landuses.

Livestock numbers—including numbers of cattle,

sheep, pigs and poultry.

Population served, treatment levels and locations

of Sewage Treatment Works (STWs).

Population not served by STWs: i.e. septic tanks.

Road and track density.

Rainfall and hydrological data combined with in-

stream processing of pollutants.

WaterLIFE Working with communities, business and

government for healthy rivers

In this collection of case studies we have attempted to create a showcase of the

tools, approaches, best practice guidance and projects currently being delivered by

organisations, groups and individuals engaged in Defra’s Catchment Based

Approach Initiative.

It is hoped that this collection will continue to grow as further case studies are

contributed and all of the material presented here will also be placed onto the

Catchment Based Approach website.

This document has been produced through a collaboration between the

Westcountry Rivers Trust, The Rivers Trust and the Catchment Based Approach

Community and with funding from the EU LIFE Programme as part of the

WaterLIFE Project. WaterLIFE aims to help local communities engage with River

Basin Management Plans and to deliver on-the-ground improvements that

support accelerated delivery of the Water Framework Directive.


Rain Charm House, Kyl Cober Parc, Stoke Climsland, Callington, Cornwall PL17 8PH

tel: 01579 372140; email: [email protected]; web: www.wrt.org.uk

This document may be reproduced with prior permission of the Westcountry Rivers Trust.

The copyright of all material remains with the originators unless otherwise stated.

CaBA Compendium (min)

Environment

catchment stakeholders

catchment area

better catchment management

effective partnerships

land management

catchmentbased approach

shared understanding

guidance case studies