Catchment Based Approach Evaluation Survey

asNeeded

In March 2011, the Government announced it would fundamentally review its river basin planning strategy in the context of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD), with a new focus on institutional arrangements and processes. A total of 25 catchment pilot partnerships were supported during this pilot phase (between mid-2011 and January 2013). Defra commissioned a consortium led by Cascade Consulting to undertake an evaluation of the pilot phase of the CaBA which concluded the initiative to have been largely successful with widespread agreement from regulators and stakeholder participants involved. A number of recommendations were made in the evaluation including the need to ensure continued monitoring and evaluation as the initiative moves from pilot phase to wider adoption across England from 2013. Defra are now supporting the wider adoption of the CaBA across the 93 water management catchments covering England through provision of funding in 2013/14 to support the establishment of catchments partnerships and through establishment of a CaBA support group to steer and support the development of new capability and delivery mechanisms to facilitate local engagement around WFD and related delivery via these partnerships.