Working Together for Our Catchment
Our rivers connect the countryside, towns and coast. Healthy waterways support wildlife, provide drinking water and help reduce flood risk. They also create places for people to enjoy.
The Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) brings people together to improve our rivers and waterways. It helps organisations work across the whole catchment, from source to sea.
Partners include councils, businesses, landowners, communities and environmental groups. By sharing knowledge and resources, we can achieve more together.
Managing Water Together
Our rivers face many challenges. These include pollution, habitat loss, flooding and climate change.
Rules and regulations help, but they cannot solve these problems alone. Working together helps us share expertise, plan action and make better use of resources.
Our projects can deliver several benefits at once. These include cleaner water, more wildlife, lower flood risk and better places for people to enjoy.
Our Catchment Management Plan
Our Catchment Management Plan sets out the main challenges facing the Adur and Ouse catchment. It also identifies where we can make improvements.
The plan helps partners agree priorities, coordinate work and secure funding. It supports projects that benefit both people and nature.
For example, restoring wetlands can create wildlife habitats, improve water quality and help reduce flooding.
A Natural Capital Approach
Rivers, wetlands, woodlands and soils provide many benefits. They support wildlife, store water and help sustain our communities.
A natural capital approach helps us understand the value of these natural assets. It also helps us identify where restoration can make the biggest difference.
We use this approach to guide our plans and make the best use of available resources.
How We Work
Our work follows five key steps.
1. Bring people together
We build strong partnerships and agree shared goals. Local communities and organisations help shape our priorities.
2. Understand the catchment
We combine data, local knowledge and expert advice. This helps us identify problems and target action where it is needed most.
3. Turn plans into action
We support projects that improve rivers, wildlife and local communities. These range from small local schemes to larger catchment-wide projects.
4. Measure progress
We monitor our work to see what is making a difference. This helps us improve projects and make informed decisions.
5. Keep learning
We share lessons with our partners and other catchment groups. We use what we learn to improve our plans and guide future work.