An outline of the Environment Agency's role as a partner, supporter, data provider, regulator, funding administrator and enabler of the Catchment Based Approach

1. Role of the Environment Agency
& catchment co-ordinators
Richard Cresswell
EA SW Regional Director
Catchment
Based Approach
Partnerships f or Action

2. The Role of the Environment
Agency and catchment coordinators
Richard Cresswell
Director, South West
05 November 2013 (London)
Catchment Based Approach Conference
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3. Our hopes for the Catchment Based
Approach
Catchment scale focus to integrate
regulation, delivery, and collaborative
working for benefit of wildlife and
livelihoods
Vibrant partnerships involving a broad range of
stakeholders are vital to success
You (Catchment Hosts and Catchment Coordinators) are
key to helping to develop these inclusive partnerships
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4. Our commitment to partnership
working
Partnership working is
supported throughout the
Environment Agency
For example, working with the
Wandle Trust to help tackle low
category pollution incidents
We are using what we’ve learnt
from the pilot catchments to
inform how we work with
partners in other catchments
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5. Our Role – a valued Partner
Share evidence (including economic) and expertise to
help groups:
Develop a common understanding of key issues
Create shared objectives
Prioritise and target effort
Deliver actions on the ground
Undertake our regulatory duties to reduce the risk of
partners’ actions being undermined by illegal activity

6. Our Role – provide a strategic view
Provide strategic overview across catchments at :
Area,
River Basin District and
National levels
A key role will be to gather Partnership Groups’
contributions to the river basin planning process
Administer Defra’s Catchment Partnership Fund

7. Our Role - Catchment coordinators
Catchment coordinators have a pivotal role:
First point of contact with catchment hosts
Enhance relationships with partners
Feed information into groups, and gather contributions
from groups
Integrate the activities of Environment Agency teams
with our partners
There will be flexibility in this role to accommodate
differences in local circumstances (e.g. partners and
geography)
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8. Concluding Points
We value partnership working and have worked with
many of you to deliver great benefits
We now need to build on these successes
We look forward to working with you so all partners
have greater opportunities to improving the water
environment
THANK YOU
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