“It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) that those who learned to collaborate most effectively have prevailed.” – Charles Darwin
The challenges facing the water environment are broad and complex but, by solving these, a range of environmental, societal and economic benefits can be achieved. Whilst government regulation plays an important role, it alone cannot address these issues. To achieve the vision of a clean, functional and diverse water environment we must have a collaborative (or partnership) approach which engages all sectors of society, including business, civil society and local authorities
Working in partnership allows local knowledge and expertise to flourish, and encourages individuals, organisations and communities to take ownership of the issues being faced. This approach also helps to resolve conflicting viewpoints and allows improvement through consensus and identification of trade-offs meaning solutions are sustainable over a long period.
The partnership undertakes integrated management of land and water, addressing each river catchment as a whole and delivering cross-cutting practical interventions on the ground. These result in multiple benefits including improvements to water quality, enhanced biodiversity, reduced flood risk, resilience to climate change, more resource efficient and sustainable businesses, and health and well-being benefits for local communities.
We believe that the clear benefits of partnership working allow us to achieve more than we could by working alone.