CSI Case Studies: Bidwell Brook Partnership WHO?
WHY?
Bidwell Brook Partnership (BBP) is a collaboration between organisations, farmers, landowners and individuals.
The Partnership enables people to transform their concern about water quality and wildlife conservation into practical action to make a difference in their community.
WHERE? The Bidwell is a tributary of the Dart, joining the river just upstream of Totnes. Its catchment is mostly farmland, but also includes two villages, several areas of ancient woodland and five combined sewage overflows (CSOs). The catchment is small but varied enough to serve as a testing ground for approaches to environmental improvement and has a history of serving as such for both Plymouth and Exeter Universities. Similarly, the small number of farmers, landowners and businesses in the catchment enables a collective approach to environmental improvement, for example, as part of the South West Water Upstream Thinking programme.
WHAT? The aim is to protect and enhance the natural environment of the brook and its catchment and in doing so, support the mental and physical well-being of people who live in the area. Our goal is a nature-rich landscape where humans and wildlife flourish, clean water flows and farms and businesses thrive.
WHAT’S NEXT?
HOW? There are more than 20 CSI monitoring volunteers along the Bidwell and its tributaries at over 30 points. The data provides a detailed baseline of the state of the catchment. But, more importantly, they are a team whose skills will develop to gather a wide range of data in the future. Their knowledge and energy will be critically important as we put together a Catchment Plan.
We will establish the farmers/landowners in valley as the most important partners with the help of professional farm advisors from the Devon Wildlife Trust and the Westcountry Rivers Trust. We aim, more than anything else, to demonstrate what a farmer-led programme of environmental improvement can achieve. We hope to bring everyone together for a meeting to share experiences and ideas with a view to agreeing a co-ordinated plan of action within the Bidwell catchment.
CHALLENGES Streamlining all the initiatives and ideas in circulation is a challenge as there is a danger of too many ideas and enthusiastic initiatives with little practical improvement being made by landowners, businesses, public bodies, or households.