Looking at holistic approaches to managing water resources across entire catchments by creating a visible, shared vision that scientists, practitioners and citizen groups can align to.
The Challenge
Catchments often contain many overlapping initiatives, diverse stakeholders, and a mix of scientific and community‑led activity. Without a shared, clearly articulated vision, efforts can remain fragmented and trust can be hard to build.
This challenge aims to:
- Create a shared vision for whole‑catchment management
- Build trust and common understanding across catchments
- Develop a framework that shows how everyone’s work fits into the wider catchment picture
- Support long‑term, coordinated action
- Provide an evidence‑based direction for the catchment
- Integrate frameworks appropriate to different areas, avoiding a “one‑size‑fits‑all” approach
- Consider the level of detail needed for decision‑makers, including whether current frameworks (e.g., WINEP) are too complex or already address these issues
- Ensure efforts are shaped by the purpose of use, recognising different needs for regulators, practitioners, communities and funders
Potential Impact
- Greater clarity and shared understanding of the catchment vision
- Better coordination of actions between groups
- Stronger long‑term decision‑making and investment
- Use of data to inform strategic direction
- A system where everyone understands their role
- Movement from fragmented projects toward cohesive, catchment‑wide outcomes
Barriers to Progress
- Requires significant time to build relationships and trust
- Many existing, overlapping initiatives
- Achieving buy‑in from all stakeholders
- Need for a clear, evidence‑based vision
- Funding and capacity limitations
- Varied governance structures across catchments
- Ongoing need for sustained relationships and consistent communication
Timeframe
Long term / continuous
Call to Action
Members are encouraged to:
- Submit ideas on how to articulate, communicate or visualise a catchment‑wide vision
- Endorse promising ideas contributed by others
- Comment with insights on governance, data needs, or aligning existing initiatives
- Join a project team in the next stage to co‑develop and refine a shared catchment‑management framework