Using local expertise to solve local problems: One novel aspect of this project is its ‘ground upwards’ approach involving land owners and managers, as well as farming and environmental organisations, government agencies and researchers.
- River Wensum, Norfolk
This community of interested parties – the ‘Wensum Alliance’ is contributing to the research design and identifying the most relevant mitigation measures. Information from an extensive monitoring programme will be available to members of the Wensum Alliance and will also be shared between the three catchment projects to compare experiences and develop best practice guidance for land managers and policymakers that can be applied nationwide.
State-of-the-art measuring devices will be used for long-term monitoring to both identify and record pollutants and to evaluate the effectiveness of measures to reduce it. The study will consider the impacts and effects on ecosystems and sustainable production and aims to improve understanding of how to predict and control diffuse pollution from agriculture.
The Wensum Alliance is modelled on international experience of successful catchment management groups such as the Memorandum of Agreement between New York City and the Coalition of Watershed Communities (Catskill-Delaware) in the United States, the South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership of Australia and others in North West Europe. Of significance in their success is the bringing together of people and agencies, the building of trust and understanding of shared problems and solutions, and the capacity for delivery.
