CaB A

tchmentased pproach Partnerships for Action

CaBA: A policy framework to empower community

catchment management

Richard ColeDefra

CaBA: A policy framework to empower community catchment managementRichard Cole Defra

Aims

Ensure that we are all on the same page, by setting out:• The background context• Our policy thinking and how management

catchment partnerships fit• Our expectations of you as catchment leads, and• Our ambition for the future

But don’t feel too oppressed – the good news is you are liberated to do what you can!

Context

• Only 27% water bodies achieve desired GES standards under the Water Framework Directive

• Diffuse (local) pollution is associated with nearly half of reasons for failure

• Tackling diffuse pollution requires local action at catchment level: aspiration and ambition

• This will require greater engagement and delivery by stakeholders: transparency and engagement

• Catchment plans which will form the basis of second cycle planning – legitimacy and standing

Policy Framework

• Policy Framework was drawn from our learning from the pilots, it sets out:

– Aims and objectives of the CaBA– Key principles– Defines catchment boundaries– Outline roles – but this is adaptive management– Highlights ‘hard wiring’ assessment and on-going

development

• Supporting handbook: – summarises learning from catchment pilots – suggests key steps and activities– supported by real case study examples

Our stated objectives for the Catchment Based Approach

• To deliver positive and sustained outcomes for the water environment by promoting a better understanding of the environment at a local level

• To encourage local collaboration and more transparent decision-making when both planning and delivering activities to improve the water environment

• Contribute to 2nd Cycle River Basin Management Plan implementation and beyond

Shared Operating Principles

• Environmentally focused planning recognising the links been water and land within hydrological systems, (starting with water framework directive objectives, but extending to actions that can deliver other objectives and wider benefits to society)

• There is an opportunity for everyone to engage for every water body

• Evidence of pressures is openly shared so that others have the opportunity to challenge and contribute to a common understanding

• Priorities are agreed and supporting actions are reflected in

contributors’ business plans

• The process is operated in an inclusive, collaborative and transparent way, led by trusted partners to make balanced judgements.

(Projects and sub catchment community activities)

(collate bigger picture challenge, strategic thinking and doing)

River Basin District wide planning and delivery

The Environment Agency

Informing, supporting, growing opportunities

Translating

National actions, and information e.g. SWMI

Three tiers

Interdependent relationships

(no hierarchy)

Water Body/Sub catchment

Management Catchment Partnerships

Catchment Management Levels

(RBMP)

Management Catchment planning and delivery

Management Catchment Partnership scale

• Pattern of activity:– Identify pressures with external input– Debate priority– Agree actions (including developing

funding)– Manage contributions

• Supported by: – Mandate to operate legitimised through

the policy framework (the framework)– Defined links, including relationship with

the EA as Competent Authority through Catchment Coordinators

– Access to funding (bidding opportunities)

– 2nd Cycle River Basin Planning (roadmap)

Catchment Facilitator / Lead :• to champion the approach • energise stakeholders• act a project manager • facilitate contributions (including brokering more funding)

Environment Agency Catchment Coordinator :• act as the main contact point between the partnership and the Environment

Agency• coordinate respective business support functions in the Environment Agency

and work closely with the catchment partnership facilitator

Partnership members – the individuals and organisations within the partnership:• contribute to discussion • investigate and suggest opportunities • contribute voluntary actions

Includes Defra Arms Length Bodies • target contributions as steered by partnerships.

Management Catchments: Key Roles

Management catchments

• There are 87 (+ 6 cross boundary) management catchments

• We sought expressions of interest to lead catchment partnerships in each from which you were selected

• Virtually all catchments are now covered

• The large majority are led by one partnership

• Where exceptionally, there is more than one partnership, we want them to work as one to consider the whole Management Catchment

Support in place• Drawn together examples of good practice from

the pilot• Initial funding pump priming funding• We are developing further funding guidance • Defra ALBs have signed up to help and you will

hear about the EA’s network of Catchment Coordinators

• EA are developing a Catchment Planning System• Stakeholders have developed a Catchment

Knowledge Hub, this is now being developed further

Adaptive Management

• Our Policy Framework sets out the broad process but the detail needs to be developed

• It relies on adaptive management• This is a new approach for delivering policy• We are all feeling our way• We need to assess progress and evolve practice• Our framework called that this be led by an

independent Steering Group of practitioners to hard wire intrinsic evaluation and learning

Outstanding needs that a National Steering Group can supportData and information

• Agreeing formatting and arrangements for supporting data• On-going knowledge sharing and dissemination between the

catchment initiatives

Skills development and accreditation• A support and development programme• A support network across catchment partnership leads• Access to specialist skills and advice

Tools• Objective setting and tracking methodologies• Supporting frameworks

Two-way feedback from local to the national level• Comms channels to raise and resolve issues

Expectations of Catchment Leads

Funding• We have provided £1.6M this FY (the vast majority has been

distributed to partnerships with some retained for support tools as steered by practitioners)

• We recognise this will not cover all of your costs and therefore cannot form a contract for everything you do

So, no strings attached?• We want you to adhere to our principles of inclusive engagement• The pilots identified that there are some key steps that form good

practice as set out in our Handbook such as scoping stakeholders; engaging them; establishing pressures; debating priorities; and helping to broker additional voluntary actions and PES funding

• But it is not prescriptive and we recognise different partnerships will be at different levels of maturity and at different stages

Opportunities

However, there are some important milestones but these are not objectives rather opportunities for you. Most notably: • Contributing to the development of catchment

summaries in the Spring next year• Working with Water Companies (PR14 Business

Plans)• Contribute to River Basin management Plans

published in 2015• Generating as much funding as possible for

2015/16 and beyond

On-going Evaluation

We will want to assess the value and on-going viability of the catchment approach, overall:• We plan an evaluation at the end of this FY to gather

views on what is good and what might help to support on-going learning and adaptive management

• We also plan to assess the added value on 2nd cycle River Basin Management Plans in the Autumn of 2015

• We will share draft Evaluation specification with practitioners and stakeholders

• But this not performance management of catchment leads

Success criteria• We hope catchment partnerships will show value

to their partners and hopefully to attract new investment to become self-sustaining after 18 months

• But let’s be clear, we’re trying to achieve more than the sum of the parts here, so the real measure of success is more about value added.

• The main success criteria are those that you yourselves set in terms of ambition for your catchment

Now Next Beyond

Our ambition is long term and is shared with others

Agenda (or focus)

Environmental status focus (WFD)

Water environment as a whole; status plus wider benefits

Environment as a whole (water cycle remains core but ecosystems approach

prompts holistic management)

Defra and its Agencies One

voiceOne action, joint action

Together facilitate shared

stewardship

Communities (including businesses)

Controlled, protected, regulated

Engaged, consulted, supported

Informed and responsible participants

The local partnerships

Established,initiated,Co-designed

Co-active, co-productive and making new linkages

Pro-active,Empowered,Influential

How can you have regard to this longer term vision?

By considering all stakeholders’ environmental interests and working with other partnerships• The Catchment Based Approach is the largest of a number of Defra place-

based initiatives that include Nature Improvement Areas, Local Nature Partnerships, et al.

• They all share a common aim to engage local communities to raise awareness of and the value placed on the natural environment.

• Each was established to tackle specific environmental pressures in the best way to reflect the preferences of the respective interest groups.

• The catchment pilots have shown that these other initiatives can coordinate and dovetail with catchments where they are co-located.

• So, as an operating principle, catchment partnerships should seek to optimise opportunities for integration across such initiatives and agree appropriate join up.

• In this way, we hope that over time all such initiatives can act in concert to address components of the same ecosystem.

Key messages for you to take away

• Catchments are key to managing the water environment; this is an opportunity to determine the future of your river for the long term

• We recognise it takes time to build a partnership and this is a long game which will go through changes

• It’s your catchment; it’s in your hands and we’re here to help you

• You are free to achieve as much as you can. Carry on doing what you already do well!