Tetney Blow Wells, Lincolnshire. Photo: Anglian Water
The Collaboratory on Sustainable Water Stewardship: ‘The Next Big Step Forward’ was launched at a workshop in London in November 2010. Experts from industry, the public sector and civil society came together to explore innovative and sustainable solutions for achieving water stewardship at lower overall cost and higher natural resilience.
Participants agreed the need for collaboration to thoroughly examine how water is managed and valued using natural processes wherever possible.
Download a copy of the report of the workshop.
The Collaboratory has three working groups under the overall guidance of a steering group. The working groups are exploring innovative catchment-oriented solutions to problems caused by the fragmentary way in which water is currently managed and regulated. Pilot projects are planned in East Anglia to test these solutions in a practical context.
CPSL is supporting an ecosystems approach to water stewardship in order to capture aspects of the learning that are applicable elsewhere in the UK and, potentially, to other regions around the world.
Read a summary of the objectives of the collaboratory.
Steering Group
The steering group, which includes representatives of relevant government departments, regulatory bodies, non-governmental organisations, land owners, business and CPSL is chaired by Lord Selborne, GBE, FRS, Treasurer of the UK All Party Parliamentary Water Group.
The purpose of the steering group is to guide the activities of the three working groups to ensure a coordinated approach, to provide access to key policymakers and to help secure the necessary funding for subsequent action. It also ensures that the work of the Collaboratory is integrated with other relevant initiatives in order to identify possible synergies and avoid duplication.
Download a list of members of the steering group.
Working Groups
Each working group focuses on a key aspect of water stewardship.
Regulation, Planning and Finance
The Regulation, Planning and Finance working group, chaired by Professor Tim O’Riordan of the University of East Anglia, is exploring financial, regulatory and planning changes that will allow water to be fully valued and appropriately managed on a landscape basis. In particular, it is examining innovative funding mechanisms for landscape-based infrastructure projects involving water.
Read more about the Regulation, Planning and Finance working group.
Water Allocation
The Water Allocation working group, chaired by Jean Spencer and Martin Silcock of Anglian Water, is investigating how to establish fair and reliable methods of water allocation based on the real value of water to nature, society and the economy.
Read more about the Water Allocation working group.
Behaviour Change
The Behaviour Change working group, chaired by Amanda Long, CEO of Corporate Culture, is examining how to encourage a more holistic understanding by communities of the value of water that could bring about a reduction in both business and residential water use.
Read more about the Behaviour Change working group.
Download a context and evidence review which was conducted in January 2012.