the rivers trust autumn conference: day 1 - session 3

Chaired by Arlin Rickard

#RTConf16

Deputy Director for Water QualityDefra

#RTConf16

Chair of Natural DevonDevon Local Nature Partnership

The LNP approach

Sue GoodfellowChair, Natural Devon

Rivers Trust Autumn Conference 12th September 2016

• Partnerships of a broad range of

local organisations, businesses

and people who aim to bring

about improvements in their local

natural environment

• Set up in the 2011 Natural

Environment White Paper

• Expected to work alongside Local

Enterprise Partnerships and

Health and Wellbeing Boards

• Natural Devon set up in 2012

What are Local Nature Partnerships?

Our quality of life is generally high. However Devon faces a number of challenges:

• Population growth

• Economy (low wages / seasonal employment)

• Climate change

• Continued impacts on our wildlife and habitats

• A complex world of organisations, sectors, funding, priorities…….

Why is Natural Devon needed?

Complexity

Exeter University

Schools

Community Council of Devon

South West Water

Developers

Active Devon

Farmers

Natural England

Devon Wildlife Trust

RSPBAONBs

NationalTrust

GPs Public Health

Local Authorities

Forestry CommissionEnvironment

Agency

Marine Management Organisation

West Country Rivers Trust

Businesses

Forestry sector

Fishermen

Plymouth University

Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority

Gov depsFWAG SW

To maximise collaboration

between all relevant organisations,

partnerships and individuals in

order to:

ensure that a healthy natural

environment underpins a high

quality of life across (..Devon)

with a strong green economy

and healthy communities

Our purposes

Three aims and seven priorities have been agreed following wide consultation

Aims:

1. To protect and improve Devon’s natural environment

2. To grow Devon’s green economy

3. To reconnect Devon’s people with nature

Aims of Natural Devon: our prospectus

Seven Themes

‘Naturally Healthy’ ‘Green Connections’ ‘Outdoor Learning’

‘Farming with Nature’ ‘Wood for Good’ ‘Resilient wetlands’

‘Sustainable Seas’

• Board – Represents the wide range of sectors, provides leadership (independent Chair)

• Executive Group - Supports the Board (15 officers plus secretariat)

• Forum - open to anyone with an interest in securing the benefits of a healthy natural environment (currently 500 members)

• Coordinator - Sarah Jennings, Devon County Council

Natural Devon structure

LNPs are umbrella partnerships which work to:

• Improve communication and awareness

• Forge links

• Provide a common evidence base

• Champion priorities

• Speak with one voice and influence decisions

• Help to unlock resources

Adding value…

Influencing decisions…

• LEP’s strategies and structures

• Countryside Stewardship grant criteria

• Funding bids

• Bringing sectors together to share ideas and actions

• Local input to national initiatives e.g. Defra’s 25 yr.

environment plan, National Growth Board, Terrestrial

Biodiversity Group

How LNPs can make a difference

Providing the right evidence…

• Nature Maps

• ‘Reconnecting people with Nature’

• ‘Green economy scoping report’

• ‘State of Devon’s Nature’

• ‘State of Devon’s environment’

• ‘Economic benefits of the environment’

• ‘Improving Engagement with our Natural Environment:

Behaviour Change Scoping Report’

.

Forging links / combining funds…

• Health and environment

• Outdoor education - schools projects, educators conference,

networking

• Sustainable Seas – workshops/action plan

• Forestry, energy and environment sectors - wood fuel project

• Economy and environment - strong links with LEP

• Green infrastructure – multiple benefit approach

.

Improving communication…

• Websites as information hubs – www.naturaldevon.org.uk

• Networking - Conferences, lectures, newsletters

• Cross-sector working groups

• Partnership working e.g. with LEPs/ESIF, educators,

communities, NGOs

.

.

Partnership activities….

• Strategic policy input

• Farming and environment

workshops

• Ash dieback conference

• Naturally Healthy Month May

• Pollinator Month July

• Collating input to devolution

debate

• Priority pipeline of cross-sector

projects for funding to LEP/ESIF

Getting out into the natural world is good fun and great for

our health!

77 varied events

.

Naturally Healthy Month 2016

.

Actions for Pollinators..

• Plant bee-friendly

flowers to provide nectar and pollen.

• Create and protect meadows and

other areas rich in wild flowers.

• Don’t be too tidy. Leave areas to

grow wild and build a ‘bug hotel’ in

your garden.

• Think carefully about whether to

use pesticides. Only use them

if absolutely necessary.

• Join up and learn more!

Pollinator Month - July

over 60 events

Catchment management issues..

…include

• pollution of water courses, bathing waters and

shell fisheries

• barriers to fish movement

• serious flooding events

‘Devon’s wetlands and watercourses provide resilience to

flooding and drought, healthy fisheries and wildlife habitats,

fantastic recreational opportunities and a clean water

supply’

Natural Devon’s Vision for Resilient Wetlands

.

What Natural Devon will do..

• Encourage joined-up, catchment approaches to

management of the water environment in order to

achieve multiple benefits

• Champion continued and innovative investment in

the water environment, building on the Upstream

Thinking approach

.

Shared objectives

What success looks like…

• Productive freshwater fisheries and shell fisheries

• Human communities protected from flooding

• An increase in the area and quality of wetlands for

wildlife

• Better quality wetlands, rivers and bathing waters

A partnership approach to catchment

management – integrating landscapes

and people…

.

Joining it up….how can Natural Devon help?

Sharing information?

Funding bids?

Support for agri-

environment?

.

Finding out more..

www.naturaldevon.org.uk

@Devon_LNP

http://www.naturaldevon.org.uk/

#RTConf16

Chair of the environment sub-groupSouth West Flood and Coastal Committee

South West Regional Flood & Coastal CommitteeEnvironment Sub Group - Partnership Project Approach

Adam Slater

My experience to date

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiw6YqE2YDPAhVFDxoKHaYLDYcQjRwIBw&url=http://www.ukgreenenergy.co.uk/renewable-energy-doncaster/green-team/&bvm=bv.131783435,d.ZGg&psig=AFQjCNEnu0tsQYM_KPyrVUI1ewdZ3tj2Xw&ust=1473455867825522

Report Findings • Catalyst role – what’s missing

• Environmental scrutiny of capital applications at SWRFCC

• Annual high level review of 6 year Government departmental and key investment programmes –looking for integration opportunities

• Engagement in the new 25 year catchment plans

• Need to improve wider understanding of funding opportunities.

• Targeted catchment specific activity in key catchments

• Catchment specific workshops

Lessons learnt - work in progress• Real opportunities to improve environmental quality, flood resilience

& bathing water quality through a more integrated approach

• Significant opportunities for improvements to benefit SWW over and above their financial commitment to a catchment project

• Key catchments need to be worked up into programmes of work

• Key engagement in the 25 year Catchment Plans – Letwin Review

• Ongoing stimulus needed to embed this activity / culture

• Wider engagement & commitment of key players is necessary

• Need for better community engagement – scheme knowledge

• Catchment prioritisation – demonstrate need

• Natural processes integral to safeguarding homes within Devon and Cornwall

#RTConf16

Deputy Director of Operations, Devon Cornwall & Isles of Scilly

Environment Agency

Improving River Ecologythrough partnership, evidence & data sharing

Alan Burrows, Deputy Director

Catchments

Government Policy

PartnershipsBe curious. Create networks. Build relations

Seek partnership. Share ideas and data.

Tell stories


Home page

Search results


Search results –

toggling catchments

on and off

1. Click the drop down arrow

on the map filter control

2. Use the check boxes to

toggle the different catchment

layers on and off

**Useful on the search results

and RDB pages**


#RTConf16

CoordinatorDevon Maritime Forum

Catchment Management:

A Marine and Coastal Perspective

Rivers Trust Autumn Conference: 12th-13th Sept. 2016, Exeter

Dr. Steven Guilbert – Devon Maritime Forum

1. Brief introduction to the Devon Maritime Forum

2. The value and necessity of integrated source-to-

sea management and partnership working

3. Challenges and Opportunities for cross-

boundary, partnership working



• Approx 50 coastal

partnerships nationwide

• 800 individual members

representing 250

organisations

• Strategic partnership for

all marine and coastal

stakeholders

• Vision: to provide an

inclusive, integrated and

balanced forum


• Simple notion…but

challenging and critical

task…bringing people

together!

• DMF uniquely placed at

the centre of a large

marine and coastal

network

• Our key role ‘the neutral

and informed facilitator’

What We Do


Core Services

a.) Facilitating Engagement

• Providing a single, central point of contact

• Providing a platform for cross-sectoral dialogue and discussion

• Facilitating consensus building and conflict resolution

• Providing channels for local ↔ regional ↔ national engagement

• Offering unique networking opportunities

b.) Representation

• Canvasing and collating membership opinion/comment,

experiences/knowledge

• Summarising and documenting viewpoints and issues

• Promulgating and presenting your views at regional and national levels

• Informing and shaping debates, decision-making and policy development

• Representing and championing the views of the Forum to the wider public

c.) Information and Communication

• Horizon scanning to identify new policies and future issues of relevance to

Forum members

• Summarising, translating, and briefing members on current legislation and

policies

• Providing strategic overviews of the impacts and application of new

legislation

• Updating members on the latest news and issues across the maritime

sector

• Providing a central information service managing and responding to

requests from all sectors

• Project development,

management and delivery (e.g.

The ERDF funded VALMER project)

• Workshop/seminar organisation

and facilitation services (e.g.

MMO South Marine Plan

stakeholder engagement

workshops)

• Public and community

engagement events organisation

• Communication strategy

development

Consultancy Services


Current Key Issues


Integrated Source-to-Sea Management

E. Maltby, 2009


Marine Strategy Framework Directive

• More or less commensurate with WFD

• Applies to marine and coastal waters (excl. estuarine or

transitional waters)

• Requires member states to achieve Good Environmental Status

for their seas by 2020

• GE[n]S defined according to 11 qualitative descriptors

• Programme of Measures to achieve or maintain GES needs to

established and implemented by 2016


MSFD – GES Qualitative Descriptors

1. Biological diversity (PoM includes reference to WFD)

2. Non-indigenous species (PoM includes RBMPs)

3. Fish and shellfish populations

4. Marine food-webs (PoM includes reference to WFD)

5. Human eutrophication (PoM includes RBMPs as primary measure)

6. Seafloor integrity (PoM includes RBMPs)

7. Hydrography (PoM includes RBMPs)

8. Contaminants (General) (PoM includes RBMPs as primary measure)

9. Contaminants (Fish/Shellfish) (PoM includes RBMPs)

10. Marine litter (PoM includes RBMPs)

11. Energy (Noise)

Marine Strategy Part 3: UK Programme of Measures, (Defra, 2015)


Source-to-Sea Partnership Working: Opportunities

1. Replaces silo thinking; supports a joined

up approach to funding; allows a cross-

boundary ‘systems’ scale approach

leading to holistic solutions

2. Pools knowledge and resources; can

increases efficiencies and cost-

effectiveness; potential to integrate

policy and practice across government

institutions.

3. Opportunity to address broader issues,

and bring together the widest possible

range of interested parties , with different

perspectives and expertise


Source-to-Sea Partnership Working: Challenges

1. Government needs to be more joined up

within and between departments to

enhance links between environment and

economy.

2. Current lack of detailed knowledge

concerning the interactions between

terrestrial and marine systems needs to

be addressed through further research.

3. Promoting the application of ecosystem

services/natural capital approach will

help develop broader scale thinking

about the environment.

#RTConf16

12th & 13th September 2016Rougemont Hotel, Exeter