good practice public participation for water management ripple project
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WWF & Heritage Lottery FundQUESTOR Centre, QUB
IntroductionRiver Basin DistrictsLough NeaghBallinderry River &
Management AreaRIPPLE
What is it?AimsOutcomesDissemination
River Basin Districts in IrelandNeagh-Bann RBD is an International RBD
8 River Basin Districts (RBD)in the whole of Ireland
N Ireland has 4 RBD: North-Eastern (light blue) North-Western (dark
blue) Neagh-Bann RBD (yellow) Shannon (purple - v small
portion in N Ireland)
Lough Neagh• Largest lake in
Ireland & Britain (300km2)
• 6 major rivers flow into the Lough
• 1 river flows out• Neagh-Bann
catchment area
Lough Neagh
•River Bann carries water from North end of Lough Neagh to the sea, on the North coast of Ireland•Rivers flowing into Lough Neagh drain ~38% of N Ireland•Excess nutrients (Phosphorus) & pollution incidents impact water quality of water around and in the Lough
Lough Neagh
Environmental designations (RAMSAR, Area of Special Scientific Interest, 8 Nature Reserves)
Present industrial pressures: Fishing, Agriculture, Peat Extraction, Sand extraction, Water extraction, Tourism and Recreation
Lough Neagh Management Strategy - Integrated management & sustainable development of activities taking place on water, around the shores and within the wetland
West Lough Neagh ShoresA relatively flat, low-
lying, expansive landscape
Shallow drumlins (long rounded hills or mounds common in Ireland) surrounded by flat, open pastures
BallinderryBallinderry is a small town on
the Western shores of Lough Neagh, in Cookstown District Council
Ballinderry River flows into Lough Neagh at Ballinderry regarded by anglers as one of
the best rivers for trout in the North, and is also good for salmon
canoeing is popular along the river
Ballinderry Management AreaCovers an area of 487km2; population ~33,000Main land area is improved grassland (49%)Drains into Lough Neagh7 Areas of Special Scientific InterestDesignated as Salmonid under Freshwater Fish
Directive – high water quality targets to protect & conserve the fish (salmon, trout)
Freshwater Pearl populationDesignated as ‘sensitive’ under Urban
Wastewater Treatment Directive: due to nutrients, esp phosphorus
Ballinderry situation88% of rivers in the Ballinderry Management
Area currently do not meet the European water quality standards set in the WFD less than good status
High level of nutrient enrichment within the catchment – mainly from agriculture
21% of river water bodies in area affected by morphological changes
Ballinderry River classified as ‘Heavily Modified’ - for flood risk management
NIEA River Basin Management Plan12% of river bodies in the Ballinderry
Management Area with good status in 2008Propose to achieve good status in 44% of river
bodies by 201596% at good status by 2021
How?Reduce numbers of benthic invertebratesReduce pressures affecting water quality:
impact from farming and other pollution sources
Public Consultation – draft RBMPConcern that the NIEA demonstrated no clear
route to meet EU water quality targets by 2015The Fresh Water Task Force called for concrete
steps to achieve improvement and a greater level of public engagement
Identified need for a more focused public participation in WFD River Basin Management Planning
Set-up of the RIPPLE project, by WWF and Ballinderry Fish Hatchery
RIPPLERivers Involving People, Places and Leading by
Example (RIPPLE)Demonstrates how community planning and
effective public engagement can bring benefit to the river environment
Funded for 3 years by WWF Freshwater programme and Heritage Lottery Fund
RIPPLE Advisory CommitteeLinking the community with the decision makersCookstown District CouncilCWSANCNCCDARD – Countryside
Management BranchDARD - Rivers AgencyDCAL - Inland FisheriesDoE - Planning ServiceNIEA – Catchment Planning
Group
NIEA – Catchment OfficerNIEA – Conservation,
Designation and ProtectionNIEA – Water ManagementUnitLNLB Advisory GroupNI WaterRural Community Network
Aims of RIPPLEAims to ‘celebrate the
beauty and history of the Ballinderry River’
To provide economic benefits to the local community
To encourage involvement of the local community, to protect and conserve the river
Public EngagementPublic engagement through partnership with other
groups, such as the Rural Community Network
Differences in approach:NI Environment Agency“You are invited to a meeting to discuss restoration of
the Ballinderry River”Rural Community Network (RCN)“You are invited to come along to a local event where
you can share your memories of the Ballinderry River”
Public Engagement (2)Huge response to the RCN invitation1 event run 12 times – at 12 different
locations300 local people participatedSharing memoriesDiscussing how the river and public use of it
has changedDiscussing how to bring use of the river back
to how it used to beAction plans
Outcome of processDiscovered how each stakeholder values the
Ballinderry RiverCreated a vision for the river
Better accessBetter understanding of the river environmentA cleaner riverMore wildlife
Devised a strategy to achieve the vision
RIPPLE Action PlanA community-driven and sustainable Action
Plan115 actions identified
timeline for deliveryEach action has been adopted by a member
of the community: a RIPPLE Champion, who is helped by other community volunteers to develop and implement the action
Examples of the ActionsVision 1: Better access to the river
Produce a scoping report & map to outline new access opportunities
Increase interest in angling along the riverVision 2: For more people & businesses to
understand the water cycle, from tap to river, and how they have an impactTraining days for the local community (public)
to raise awareness of pollutionSchools adopting river-based projects
Examples of the Actions (2)Vision 3: Less pollution & less litter in the Ballinderry
river & its tributariesIncrease the use of water-friendly household productsAwards for improved environmental performance
(industry) and awards ceremonyVision 4: See wildlife corridors where there are
healthy habitats & better protection for plants & animalsTo successfully introduce juvenile mussels to the riverTo collate information on wildlife and habitats in and
around river
DisseminationProject website
Links to events scheduled on and around riverEnvironmental news – specific to the
BallinderryQuarterly newslettersA point of contact where people can ‘register
interest’ in the project and pledge to help out Booklet “Visions for the Ballinderry”
Reflects the views of the community living in the Ballinderry river catchment
Finally….
Invitation extended to ENWAMA partners to attend an official event for RIPPLE – November/ December 2009
Thank you!
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