Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The study is part of the Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU) programme. Water pollution poses difficult challenges for policy, control strategies and scientific assessment. This project aimed to investigate how best to integrate and extend the scientific and social accomplishments of innovative catchment management programmes in the USA, Australia and other European countries to catchments in the UK. This built on the work of Capacity Building Award RES-224-25-0031 (Economic and Social Research Council) which successfully formed a network of researchers and water professionals capable of investigating integrated solutions for water resources protection. The project sought to derive a catchment management 'template' to compile and assimilate scientific understanding and governance procedures as tested in decision making and practice in catchments. This demonstrates how: to integrate scientific investigation with policy, governance and legal provisions; foster decision-making and implementation at the appropriate governance level to resolve conflicts; and share best practice. The project conducted an international comparative analysis of catchment programmes with a focus on collaborative governance, local coordination and action, and tools for assessment, planning and knowledge exchange. Two catchments in England were investigated as case studies against which international lessons were tested: the River Tamar (Devon and Cornwall) and the River Thurne (Norfolk Broads). The project researched the current issues, water quality targets, pollution mitigation potential and governance systems in these two catchments. Results were integrated with the findings of the wider comparative study of governance arrangements, leading to the 'template'. There was also a higher level international analysis of land and water governance regimes, and of the transferability of policies, approaches and measures. A survey was conducted of collaborative governance in England and Wales, including the emergence of community-based catchment groups. The UK Data Archive holds quantitative data from the catchment group organisation survey and the C-Plus farmer survey elements of the project, and qualitative data in the form of: a file of combined transcripts from telephone interviews conducted with seven respondents representing statutory groups for environmental and catchment management; and reports from 11 project stakeholder workshops. Further information for this study may be found through the ESRC Research Catalogue webpage: Developing a Catchment Management Template for the Protection of Water Resources: Exploiting Experience from the UK.

Main Topics:

Catchment management, governance, water quality.

Purposive selection/case studies

Face-to-face interview

Telephone interview