Actions for Making Rivers Better

Following the initial Making Rivers Better event, we pulled together a list of proposed actions. The wording in italics gives the latest updates on each action.

If you are able to help deliver any of these actions, please download and complete the proposed actions form and email your response to tim.youngs@devon.gov.uk.

We are also interested in hearing from you if you would like to challenge or add to any of the proposed actions.

1. Continue to support citizen science groups

• Continue to support citizen science groups with obtaining the kit they need for monitoring and help provide training (budget permitting). What do groups need?

There has been significant progress, with grants provided from the National Landscapes for a range of equipment, some of it shared between groups, to enable gaps in information to be filled. 

2. Engage South West Water

• Engage South West Water at all levels, in water quality related impacts.

Good progress has been made at project level and via the East Devon Catchment Partnership. South West Water have been very helpful in providing technical information. However, changes in staff have made the process stop-start at times.

3. Liaise with the Environment Agency in relation to citizen science data

• Liaise with the Environment Agency (EA) citizen scientist lead and senior staff to further develop the use of citizen science data in EA monitoring and reporting. Potentially use the East Devon Catchment Partnership (EDCP) area as a pilot for this.

Significant time and effort has been spent in this area and it is on-going. Some good progress made and national initiatives such as CastCo are helping. 

4. Form a citizen scientists’ discussion group

Form an East Devon Catchment Partnership citizen scientists’ discussion group that feeds back actions needed. Some possible topics could include:

• Working with the Environment Agency and other organisations to help volunteers set objectives for their monitoring: What do they want to achieve? Why are they doing it? What do they expect to do with the data they collect? What do volunteers need from organisations, to help them achieve their aims with the monitoring they undertake?
• Workshop-style events to work through specific questions – for example: What does my data mean? When is something bad? – and site-based focus sessions. This could involve bringing in experts. This could also be a place to decide together how to move forward to tackle issues highlighted by citizen science data.
• Tackling issues and problems affecting East Devon Catchment Partnership (EDCP) catchments at source and build catchment resilience, rather than ‘sticking plaster’ approaches. What does this look like?
• Creating a citizens science toolkit. Building on the Making Rivers Better case study to better explain,
  • What citizen science water-quality readings mean
  • Biological monitoring including beavers
  • Nature-based solutions
  • Flood risk and invasive species.

We need to be aware of local variation due to geology, soils, land use, etc.

What already exists?

One of the biggest steps forward is co-designing and delivering an annual ‘stock take’ process, via the East Devon Catchment Partnership. This forms a ‘health of’ assessment for each of the 83 operational waterbodies in the East Devon Catchment Partnership area. Trends/change is assessed and citizen science data is used to calibrate/cross-check against the statutory Environment Agency data. A traffic light (red/amber/green) rating is then applied, with priority actions agreed as a result. 

5. Look to fill gaps in CSI and riverfly monitoring in the EDCP area

Citizen scientists (working with the Westcountry Rivers Trust on CSI) have mobilised training and identified gaps. Key individuals have taken a lead on different elements e.g. riverfly monitoring. 

6. Explore options for nature recovery

• Explore options for nature recovery at all scales including:
• River (and stream) restoration projects
• Wetland and other habitat creation/restoration
• Restore natural processes at reach, holding, catchment and landscape scale, including rewilding approaches and linked networks of habitats
• Use all of the above to restore functioning ecosystems.
• Are there volunteer opportunities in this?

There has been input into the three Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) that cover the East Devon Catchment Partnership area. Cross-border catchments, e.g. the Axe, have been used as an integration case study. 

Projects have been developed that integrate nature recovery, including Rivers Run Through Us (RRTU) in the Axe catchment. 

7. Liaise with Environment Agency and local authority flood risk teams

• Liaise with Environment Agency and local authority flood risk teams to incorporate flood monitoring into citizen science activity. How do we link to flood wardens?

Strong links have been made with flood wardens, e.g. in the River Culm catchment. Integration of water quality and flood risk objectives (including for multi-objective nature-based solutions) is on-going. 

8. Support Local Catchment Plan activity

• Support Local Catchment Plan activity, piloting innovative and integrated nature-based solution approaches. Which roles suit volunteers and which are better suited to organisations? Where does the risk/liability lie?

The Sid and Kit Brook catchment groups have piloted Local Catchment Plans and these groups need support to fully implemented the plans and rolled out. 

9. Engage and involve the farming community

• Engage and involve the farming community at all stages, in terms of explaining what citizen science activity is being carried out and why, plus gaining a better understanding their farm businesses. What support tools are needed? Farmer champions? What land-use change is possible/needed (alongside other measures) in order to get the water environment into recovery?

The farm facilitation groups operating across the area continue to include workshops, discussions and peer to peer learning for farmers and landowners, much of it water related. Nature-based solution projects operating across the area engage both land managers and citizen scientists at an early stage.

10. Aim to have an annual Making Rivers Better event

• Aim to have an annual citizen science Making Rivers Better gathering/ celebration/skill-sharing event in the East Devon Catchment Partnership area (resources permitting). These would be hosted locally and held at different locations on rotation.

There have been several follow-on Making Rivers Better themed events, including those organised by citizen science groups such as Friends of the River Axe (FORA). The Making Rivers Better initiative continues to be an important and unifying umbrella for collective action to improve the awareness, understanding and health of our rivers. 

11. Match volunteers with volunteer opportunities

• Create a match-maker service between keen volunteers and volunteer opportunities. Create a live list which signposts the main contacts.

This happens at a local/catchment level and perhaps is best delivered this way, with local citizen science groups signposting to each other as required. A single match-maker type system across the whole East Devon Catchment Partnership area could be less effective and requires someone to manage it, however this will be kept under review.