Key questions
To date we have identified: sediment management, geomorphological changes over time, water and watershed planning, fish and aquatic habitat, land use, intensification of agriculture, agricultural pollution, invasive species, collaborative governance, flood hazard management, climate change adaptation and loss of riparian habitat. In addition to these more focused challenges, which address a specific issue, we also have a list of more general questions facing water (environmental) management. These include:
- How best to draw together public, community and government stakeholders;
- What role NGOs may/should play in the emerging context of austerity-shaped water management;
- What role NGOs may/should play in terms of facilitating public participation;
- How government can support grassroots-informed management, whether government should/can;
- How to maintain networks of stakeholders;
- How to link local management with national or regional objectives;
- How to accommodate extended temporal considerations and sustainable management;
- How to consider/reconcile the numerous geographical scales of management or water challenges;
- What are the roles for data, information and knowledge to inform public participation, planning and decision making; and
- Recognizing that watershed issues are interconnected, how do we design management responses while including public participation, planning, policy and decision-making?
Daily objectives and topics
May 23rd: General Understandings
The first day of the exchange aims to highlight each of the NGOs and the challenges they have faced, are facing and expect to face in the future. It is critical that everyone learn the perspective and situation of the NGOs (e.g. governance structure of the nation and NGO, funding issues; size and scope; nature of stakeholders; how the NGOs operate), so that descriptions of the challenges can be contextualised. During each of the presentations, we hope to hear from different ‘levels’ within the organisations, with the aim of understanding the balance between executive, programme manager and ‘implementer’. We see these levels as a potentially valuable way of understanding the role and operation of NGOs. The NGOs are asked to highlight the key challenges they have faced, are facing and expect to face, listing the mitigation strategies taken with reference to other options or desires.
May 24th: Key Issues
Following from the discussion from the previous day, we aim to explore six key challenges. These are fisheries, flooding, agriculture, the physical environment, pollution and climate change, though we are open to adjusting or exchanging these topics to suit people’s wishes. Also of note, the divisions do not mean that we will not discuss the connections and feedbacks between these issues; rather, the nature of integration is a key question for discussion on the 26th.
May 25th: Tweed Visit
With an understanding of the NGOs and the challenges they face, we will spend the day visiting the Tweed catchment and Tweed Forum. The visit will involve exploration of ‘problem’ areas. These will include exploration of diffuse pollution mitigation strategies; wetland habitat restoration; balancing multiple usages with tourism and recreation; a natural flood management pilot scheme; discussion with officials attempting to balance local investment with flood risk; examination of ‘a designated catchment’ to see the scope and nature of scientific monitoring; and how/if NGO efforts are being integrated into management.
May 26th: Overarching Themes
Following the Tweed visit, in which a point of discussion will be the interaction and need for ‘integrated thinking’ to address challenges, we will change the focus to overarching questions. These include: 1) how to integrate (conceptually and pragmatically) the factors that shape water management challenges? 2) how to balance short and long term considerations? 3) the role and responsibilities of the public and public participation? 4) how to inform management: knowledge, data and interested parties? and 5) how to deal with changing contexts? These discussions are not necessarily exclusive to each other, so the discussions will be encouraged to range in the directions seen as most useful.
May 27th: Outcomes and Recommendations
On the final day of the workshop, the focus turns to the outcomes of the exchange. Broadly these include: 1) an identification and discussion of the key challenges pertaining to water management and to the roles and responsibilities of NGOs, the public, government and any other parties. This discussion will later be assembled into a policy-oriented document, and will be circulated to participants for commentary. The second outcome will aim to revisit the key challenges and questions facing water management with the aim of listing best practices. This will include both ideal and pragmatic assessments of mitigation strategies, and will speak to the four nations in which the catchments are situated.