WaterLIFE launches Water Stewardship demonstration catchments

WaterLIFE has started working in its remaining two demonstration catchments – the Cam & Ely Ouse and Broadland Rivers in East Anglia – to show how the private sector can help improve river health through Water Stewardship. The project is working with Coca-Cola, the CamEO Catchment Partnership and Norfolk Rivers Trust to support farmers to implement sustainable practices and reduce their impact on the freshwater environment. This will ultimately help to improve river health.

Both catchments are home to precious chalk streams, which are almost unique to England and home to iconic and much-loved wildlife such as mayfly, otters and kingfishers. However, the majority of rivers in these catchments are failing to reach good health and farm pollution has been identified as a major pressure.

Together, by tackling the impact farming is having on water and moving to water sensitive practices, we will not only protect our unique chalk streams, but increase the resilience of agricultural supply chains, which is good for both people and wildlife.

Over the next 18 months, WaterLIFE will:

  • Work directly with farmers to improve practices and increase the resilience of agricultural supply chains. This will include installing silt traps to reduce sediment entering the river, and farm visits to provide direct advice and support.
  • Showcase the successes to encourage further collective action by communities, the government and other businesses and upscale this work through workshops, roundtables and river visits.
  • Bring together supply chains to support widespread adoption of water sensitive farming.
  • Communicate and promote the positive role businesses can play in river health.

WWF-UK, the project’s lead partner, worked in partnership with Coca-Cola from 2012-2015 to help improve the health of English rivers, focusing on the River Nar in Norfolk and the River Cray in South-East London. WaterLIFE will build upon these successes and experiences.

To find out more about the catchments and the work we’re doing please visit the catchment pages.