Island Rivers Catchment Partnership
The Isle of Wight River Catchments Partnership brings together local people and organisations to plan and deliver positive actions that will improve our water environment. The Catchment Partnership is being hosted by Natural Enterprise and is supported by a diverse range of core partners and wider stakeholders.
The organisations helping to steer this project are the Environment Agency, Natural Enterprise, National Trust, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Wight AONB, Isle of Wight Council, Southern Water, the CLA, National Farmers Union, the Isle of Wight Estuaries Project, the Marine Management Organisation, Solent Forum, Solent Protection Society, Bembridge Harbour Users Group, and Arc Consulting. Any interested organisation are welcome to join our partnership.
By working together, to share knowledge and deliver actions, we can safeguard and improve the health of the catchment’s freshwater, estuarine and coastal ecosystems for the long term.
Island Rivers Catchment Host
The Isle of Wight partnership is hosted by Natural Enterprise, a charity based in Newport, right alongside the Medina at Shide. Natural Enterprise deliver a number of programmes and projects that deliver benefit to the Island’s economy and environment.
As Catchment Host Natural Enterprise co-ordinate meetings and activities, and act as the conduit for communications between DEFRA, the Environment Agency, Southern Water Services and other partners. The role also includes communication with businesses and the community and ensuring steps are taken to increase access, equality and diversity. Additionally Natural Enterprise delivers a suite of projects to complement those of other partners. You can find out more about the work of Natural Enterprise here.
The law and guiding principles
The European Water Framework Directive became part of UK law in 2003 and governs all our actions. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) was transposed in UK legislation and became retained domestic law at the end of the transition period. Therefore our obligation for reviewing and updating the river basin management plans in England is set out in our domestic law. We have adopted a Catchment Based Approach to how we work.
