CaBA Update September 2018

Roundup of news, deadlines, events and information

News roundup for
CaBA Partnerships

September 2018

Twitter

Website

Consultation: Working Together

Working Together is the first consultation in the process of reviewing and updating the river basin management plans for 2021.

It sets out the steps and consultation measures to be taken, the proposed timetable and the ways that you can get involved in preparing the updated plans.

Everyone’s views are welcomed. Responding to the consultation is just one way of getting involved in the process. You can also engage with the EA and partners both locally and nationally on river basin planning.

Closes 22nd December 2018

Take part now

Important Catchment Partnership Information required

The CaBA National Support Group will be publishing a new Catchment Based Approach website in Autumn 2018. As part of this re-design, we are reviewing and updating all catchment partnership details and preferences provided on the website.

On the run-up to the launch, we require a response from each catchment host, please fill in this short survey about your catchment partnership.

Please also copy and paste any information you wish to keep about your catchment partnership from the current website and respond to this survey before 26th September (deadline has been extended).

If you do not respond, the information published about your partnership will be extremely limited.

Complete the survey now

Environment Agency and Natural England have released a new (Sept) update on the Water Environment Grant (WEG).

316 applications for the scheme have now been assessed for eligibility and scored against the prioritisation criteria. Those applications which are eligible are now going through a process of quality assurance (QA) and checks to make sure the assessments are complete.

An update letter will be sent to some applicants asking for further information to justify costs and timescales. It’s currently planned that letters will be sent from late September. This work will be phased, so some letters may not be received until mid-October.

As getting this information will affect start timescales it is not expected that claims against successful grants have to be made before March 2019.

Any issues or feedback – If you have feedback on the WEG process (including if you have decided not to apply for any reason) please use go through your EA Catchment Coordinator / NE local officers and/or the WEG email address.

Read the full September summary below.

Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management National Strategy

People from across the flood and coastal community are coming together to discuss, develop and influence the strategy. It is now time to have your say! Whether you've been involved in the working groups or not, we've even provided a DIY engagement pack to help you gather views and feed them back.

The EA want to know: What is your ambition for flood and coastal erosion risk management in the future? What are your ideas for changes the flood family could make to help achieve that ambition? And what actions can you or others take to help deliver those ideas?

Find out more

Survey: 25-year Environment Plan Local Delivery

Defra have released a survey to understand how local partnerships currently work to protect and enhance the environment to contribute to social and economic as well as environmental objectives and the factors that affect their success.

The survey is aimed at people involved in organisations or partnerships in England working below the national level to achieve economic, health or environmental outcomes.

Defra is leading the delivery of the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan for England which seeks to improve the environment within a generation. This is critical if the next generation is to flourish, with abundant natural resources to draw on. The survey results will be used by Defra to find ways to further increase the value of local partnerships’ contribution to delivering the Environment Plan.

Closes: 5th October

Take part now

Event: CaBA GIS course in Reading

9-12^th October 2018, Venue – Friends Meeting House, Reading

Westcountry Rivers Ltd is delivering a 4-day GIS training event in Reading, consisting of a 2-day introductory course, followed by a 2-day advanced course.

Participants may wish to attend one or both courses. Both are designed to support environmental practitioners (particularly those involved with CaBA) to visualise and analyse environmental data with the aim of understanding issues and targeting interventions across a river catchment. The courses make use of datasets provided in the CaBA data packages, helping users to become familiar with these datasets and to understand how they can be used within the field of environmental/river management.

Price for 2-day course is £500 (discounted rate of £300 for non-profits and students)
Bring your own laptop with ArcMap installed

Book now

Event: The Rivers Trust Autumn Conference 2018 - Delivering the Government's 25-Year Plan

The Rivers Trust Autumn Conference will focus on the delivery of the Government’s 25-Year Environment Plan and the challenge to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state. Picking up on the key elements of the plan like Natural Capital, restoration and water resource management, speakers and presentations will highlight, issues, solutions and opportunities for improvement. Rivers Trust presentations will also ‘showcase’ successful projects.

A draft programme will be available shortly. Presentations already confirmed include: Bristol Avon Rivers Trust, Severn Rivers Trust and Westcountry Rivers Trust.

On the lead up to the event, The Rivers Trust is looking to understand your ideas how we can leave rivers in a better state than when we found them. Learn more here.