Integrated catchment management – a new approach to an old problem

Clare Black, Kieran Conlan and David Corbelli

Cascade Consulting

• Emerging regulatory systems in the UK and internationally are moving to an ecosystem-based approach

• At the core is an understanding of the “receptor communities” and what stakeholders (i.e. us) value

Policy Context

• This looks at the environment as an integrated system including freshwater, marine, land and urban areas

Policy Context

• This is increasingly being reflected in water policy

Integrated Catchment Management

http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/doncatchment/work/projects/ursula

Integrated Catchment Management

“Integrated Catchment Management is the process through which people can develop a vision, agree on shared values and behaviours, make informed decisions and act together to manage natural resources”

(Ref: Bob Harris)

How will this work in practice?

The Catchment Based Approach

• Initiative launched by Defra in 2011

• Delivery of Water Framework Directive

• Pilot phase in 2012

Pilot Phase and Evaluation

• 25 pilot catchment partnerships run by range of different organisations

• Evaluation team led by Cascade

• Aim to learn what works and what doesn’t to inform wider adoption across England

Pilot Phase and Evaluation

Pilot Phase and Evaluation

What does this mean for the water

industry?

What does this mean for the water industry?

• There is a growing recognition of potential benefits to the water industry from more collaborative ways of working

But…

• Many water companies have now included Integrated Catchment Management schemes into their PR14 submissions

What does this mean for the water industry?

• A long way off consideration of catchment management as a standard alternative or addition to end-of-pipe measures

• Requires different ways of thinking, moving from pure technological fixes to interaction and collaboration with third parties

• Still lots of uncertainty around what catchment management can deliver – need a strategic view to target work where integrated catchment management is most likely to be effective

Catchment management for the water industry

• Example: Integrated Catchment Management For Phosphorus (UKWIR project)

• High levels of phosphorus in surface waters is a big challenge to meeting WFD targets in the UK

• Phosphorus removal contributes to significant operating and carbon costs for the water industry, which are likely to increase with downward pressures on phosphorus concentrations in discharges

Integrated Catchment Management For Phosphorus

Integrated Catchment Management For Phosphorus

• Colours show whether phosphorus inputs are predominantly from agriculture (yellow) or water industry (blue) sources

• Clear spatial differences in the proportion of phosphorus loads from these sectors

Conclusion

• Integrating water management at the catchment scale is becoming more important – not a new idea in itself, but the level of policy support for it is

• The water industry has significant experience from catchment management for the protection of drinking water

• There is now considerable potential to apply this experience to investigate the potential for catchment solutions to wastewater issues

http://www.catchmentchange.net/pilot-

catchments/

Knowledge Exchange

Payments for Ecosystem Services

• Ecosystem services are the benefits people derive from the natural environment

http://www.forest-trends.org/embargoed_water_2013.php

• PES involves payments to natural resource managers in return for additional ecosystem service benefits

Integrated catchment management – a new approach to an old problem

Clare Black, Kieran Conlan and David Corbelli

Cascade Consulting

Contact: clare.black@cascadeconsulting.co.uk