Dumfries & Galloway Catchment Management Initiative

The Dumfries and Galloway Catchment Management Initiative began as a pilot project in 2000. It aimed to deliver the objectives contained within the wetland section of the Dumfries & Galloway Local Biodiversity Action Plan external link.  In addition, the project was seen as a precursor to what was then the forthcoming Water Framework Directive (WFD) requirements with regards to river basin planning. At that time, the concept of catchment management planning was fairly new.

Catchment management is now widespread and has been adopted as a central theme of river basin management planning (RBMP). To date the initiative has published three catchment management plans for rivers including the Annan, Dee-Ken and the Nith. The initiative is now focused on putting these plans into action, while undertaking periodic reviews.

What is catchment management planning?

A catchment is defined as the area of land that contains a river system and its associated coastal waters. Catchment boundaries are often formed by high ground separating them, at a line known as a watershed. Catchment management planning is the process of bringing together stakeholders to develop actions that conserve and enhance the ecological quality of the river and its environs.

Catchment management planning embraces the principles of ecosystem services. It recognises that rivers are integral to land use management and support a range of diverse activities and services. These include:

  • drinking water;
  • industrial abstraction;
  • hydro-electric power generation;
  • wildlife habitats;
  • agriculture and recreational activities, such as walking, fishing, sailing and kayaking.

The challenges for catchment management planning are:

  • Managing the complex interactions between services.
  • Capitalising on opportunities to conserve and enhance the river environment.

The role of the Catchment Management Initiative

The initiative is responsible for co-ordinating the work of stakeholders and for driving the process of planning and implementing agreed actions within the catchments. It acts as a facilitator and aims to encourage partnership working. It will create and deliver projects that improve water quality and habitats, at a catchment scale.

There are three key questions for the initiative:

  1. What is happening?
  2. Why does it matter?
  3. What should we do about it?

The initiative addresses these by:

  • identifying ecological issues that management activities may be contributing to;
  • working with stakeholders and scientists to assess the impact at a catchment scale;
  • identifying appropriate objectives from which short, medium and long-term actions can be developed through partnership working.

Achievements

Since its launch, the initiative has published three catchment management plans. These plans have been formally recognised at a local and national level. They are included in the Dumfries & Galloway Local Biodiversity Action Plan external link and the Scottish Government’s Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP). Applicants to the programme can gain funding for work that supports actions in the catchment management plans on the Scottish Government's website external link.

The plans represent the three largest catchments in Dumfries & Galloway: the Nith, the Dee-Ken and the Annan. In 2008, the initiative published a review of the Dee-Ken plan. The Annan plan is scheduled next for review.

Since publishing the plans, the initiative has been developing partnership projects to address short, medium and long-term actions. Projects have addressed a range of actions and involved a variety of stakeholders. In 2007, our “Working towards best practise” farmland wetlands project was awarded the LEADER+ Rural Award for 2007.

Further information about the projects is contained within the newsletters.  

The future

Catchment management planning is now a widely utilised management tool and has been adopted as a central theme of river basin management planning. The initiative is well placed to work alongside river basin management planning, contributing to the Solway Tweed river basin plan and, where appropriate, delivering key objectives under the Water Framework Directive.
 
Contact us

The initiative is co-ordinated by SEPA’s Catchment Management Planning officer. If you’ve any questions or queries about the Catchment Management Initiative, please email us.