The Cornwall Rivers Project - Essay Example

Running Head: The Cornwall Rivers Project The Cornwall Rivers Project Customer’s Name: Customer’s Course: Tutor’s Name: 5th March, 2012. Identify a project (either one you have worked on, or one drawn from the literature) which has adopted a participatory approach to the solution of environmental problems. Analyze: the different groups that participated and how they participated; the benefits and the costs accruing from participation to the project Suggest how changes in the approach to participation could have improved the outcomes. Case Study: The Cornwall Rivers Project (CRP) The Cornwall Rivers Project was a 4 year project that was completed in 2006. It was jointly funded by the European Union and DEFRA (Department for Agriculture, food and rural affairs) to the tune of 2.6 million Euros (NAO, 2004). It was aimed at the rehabilitation of rivers and their catchment around Cornwall County, South-West England. The project provided farmers for 870 landholdings around Cornwall with Management Plan for their farms. These management plans were aimed at improving farm output and at the same time conserve the environment. The project covered “over 560 km2 of land and over 1,380km of surveyed watercourses” (Le Quesne, 2003). An independent survey reveals that farmers are already making savings after adopting the ‘individually Customized Integrated River Basin Management Plan’ (Le Quesne, 2003). Annually each farm was estimated to have made average savings of £1369 (HM Treasury, 2003). The Cornwell rivers project was run by the West Country Rivers Trust (a registered charity) as part of their river restoration projects. The trust works with people whose lives are affected by the West Country’s rivers on a daily basis. The trust regards these stakeholders as partners in their various environmental conservation efforts. The Cornwall rivers project spelt out its objectives in West Country Rivers Trust (2002) as follows: Objective 1:” To extend the well proven program of guidance and technical support on economic and environmentally sound land use practices.” Objective 2: “To raise public awareness of the importance of water resources and related habitat issues and to engage the wider community in the conservation and enjoyment of our river heritage” Objective 3:” To facilitate the transfer of experience, information and good land use practices to those who own and manage the resources.” The Cornwall Rivers Project achieved its first objective by applying lessons learnt in previous river restoration projects. Secondly the project put in place mechanisms that arrested further decline of rivers (West Country Rivers Trust, 2002). Thirdly, the project lent assistance to farmers making improvement to their farm holdings that were beneficial to river maintenance and improvement. They also came up with practical guidelines for the actual restoration and management of riverine environments. Objective 2 was realized by spreading the message of the importance of conservation of water resources through partner organizations and links. Secondly, the project involved advising and training the target community. Relevant and understandable information was spread through a public awareness program (West Country Rivers Trust, 2002). Furthermore, Cornwall rivers project involved locals in providing solutions to water resource related problems. Finally the project established demonstration where best farm management practices were shown. Organized River visits and walks for students and the Cornwall community also provided another opportunity for the project to spread environmental awareness. The Cornwall rivers project met objective 3 through encouragement of holistic land use and water resource management. A training program was also used to raise the skills of land owners, encourage adoption of technology. All information and methodology used in the restoration incorporated the latest best management practices to ensure validity of the outcomes. The Cornwall Rivers Project involved the restoration and management of the following rivers and their catchments: River Allen, River Caerhays, River Camel,RiverLooe(East Looe River), West LooeRiver,RiverFal, River Fowey, River Gannel, Lerryn River, River Inny, River Lynher, River Menalhyl, RiverMeagissey, River Neet, River Otter, River Seaton, River Strat, River Tiddy, River Tresilian, River White. The northernmost rivers are the Neet and the Strat and Cober catchment is in the southernmost river. The Cornwall Rivers Project owes its success to the involvement of various stakeholders. The farmers in Cornwall county agreed to adopt” individually Customized Integrated River Basin Management Plan”. The Cornwall community participation was felt by reduced dumping of solid and other waste into the county’s rivers. The Management of the Eximor and Dartmoor National parks allowed access to rivers traversing the parks (McClymont & Jeffrey, 2004). The European Union through the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund and the Government of the UK through the Department for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs funded the project. Fishery groups would benefit greatly from Cornwall’s restored rivers and were very enthusiastic about the project. The trust also partnered with the Environment Agency, The Royal Holloway University of London, The BDB Associates and South West Water Cornwall county farmers especially those Cornwall Rivers traverse through their farmlands agreed to reduce usage of nitrate fertilizer by carefully timed and targeted application; they also planted clovers in steep grassland areas (Foundation for Water Research, 1996). Cornwall Rivers Project also taught farmers how to separate clean and dirty water in the farmyard. Farm manure previously referred as farm waste began to be used for adding nutrients into the soil while livestock farmers reduced the quantity of bag phosphate farmers or either stopped using it altogether. The Forestry Commission provided Energy crops to farmers so they could reap maximum benefit from their acreage, without using heavy fertilizer application. The exact amount of fertilizer needed per Hectare was determined by testing soil samples. In a trial in Camel catchment area established that 150 kg of fertilizer applied to 12.9 hectare test arable ground was an excessive amount. The Environmental Agency provided the CRP with technical guidance and river catchment targeting advice. The Agency provided information on the fish stocks in Cornwall’s Rivers, particularly decline in Salmon population due to low juvenile survival rate. Another group that collaborated with CRP was the Wetland Ecosystems Research Group (WERG), University of London through provision of GIS mapping and management expertise, the project also made use of their data storage capabilities (Le Quesne, 2003). WERG also carried out the research on nitrate diffusion and its effects on Cornwall’s rivers. The BDB Associates provided technical guidance on the design and implementation of Best Farming Practice guidelines and also provided the mode of operation for Cornwall rivers project. South West Water provided financial support to assist with the project delivery. The Salmon& Trout association provided education to young people on angling techniques, riverside etiquette and safety. They also taught visitors the importance of managing and protecting fish species and the riverside and aquatic environment. The Cornwall Rivers Project was completed in 2006, it had a range of beneficial outcomes for the Cornwell community and various stakeholder involved in its delivery (McClymont & Jeffrey, 2004). The most benefit went to farmers who adopted the Project’s Integrated River Basin Management Plans. The CRP led to increased net income through enhanced and less environmental degrading farming techniques. Farmers benefited from the following outcomes reduced soil loss, lower quantities of fertilizers used more efficiently and increased earnings from tourist visits (DEFRA, 2004). Farm net incomes were found to have increased to £1369 per farm per annum. The farms are estimated to make an average total saving of £838,005. These benefits represent a transfer of economic benefits to the rural Cornwall economy, the intentions of two project financiers the European Union and DEFRA. Minimization of fertilizer application, specific targeting and choosing the most appropriate time for application were the most significant benefits for farmers. The CRP farm plans are estimated to have saved farms a total annual amount of £337,095 (Manning, 2001). The CRP farm plans advised farmers on how to improve their accommodation facilities and how to capitalize on fishing as a tourist attraction. The CRP through partners provided grants to farmers for expansion of their facilities. Total earnings from tourism increased to £ 68,010 after implementation of the CRPs tourism plan. The Trout and Salmon society and other angling societies benefitted from the Cornwall rivers project through improved quality of water and availability of more river stretches for angling. The Cornwall Rivers Project led to better Cornish river and aquatic environment, which in turn resulted in increased numbers of salmon and sea-trout (Hutchinson-Scarbrough, 2001). Cornwall rivers project improved 132 km of riparian environment. Salmon catches were estimated to have increased to 152 annually while sea -trout catches also rose to 83. The benefits in number of catches are only attributed to improved river stretches, while benefiting arising from lower levels of diffused chemicals cannot be quantified (OECD, 1986). According to the Angling 2000 scheme one extra salmon catch brings an additional £1,348 to the Cornish economy, while a sea-trout adds £385. The total annual increase in Salmon rod catches brings in £204, while those of the Sea-trout net an additional £31,955. South West Water Company was also one of the largest beneficiaries of the Cornwall Rivers project as they spent lesser on water treatment. A Comparison between two different reservoirs established that the cost of treating polluted water in Moorland reservoir (part of Cornwall Rivers Project) was 49% lower than another reservoir not included in the project. The Cornwall economy and the Cornwall community acknowledge the Cornwall Rivers project as one that brought good economic fortunes to the area. Increased tourism visits meant there were more employment opportunities available for the locals. The Tourist company (2004) estimate that one new job is created for every £35,600 spent by tourists, with each £10,300 spent giving rise to a new part time job opportunity. Increased net farm income led to increased employment opportunities in the local economy. Implementation of the Cornwall rivers project led to employment of extra workers to work on the various recommendations. About 40% of £484,000 sourced from farmers’ contribution and grants was used on labor. The £194,000 was estimated to have created 15.5 fulltime jobs and 53.7 fulltime jobs per week for the duration of Cornwall rivers project. Cornwall rivers project could have realized better outcomes with a different approach to stakeholder participation in the project. Farmers could have benefited more with assistance from farmers who have previously participated in river restoration projects (Brookes and Shields, 1996). The Project should have aimed at recruiting more farms into the integrated river basin management plan by bringing on board more stakeholders like the Fowey Harbor commission who could have offered farmers incentives to join the project. Use of modern marketing methods the project could have achieved a higher uptake rate among farmers. Modern marketing strategies West Rivers Trust could have adopted include billboard advertisement showing the success of previous restoration projects like the Tamar rivers projects. Partnerships with celebrities that would see them in advertisements showing them fishing in improved rivers and participating in activities to improve rivers would have meant more tourist visits and more funding (The Tourism Company, 2004). . Inclusion of video technology during farm visits could have helped the projects staff demonstrate the effects of diffusion pollution on the environment. The West Rivers trust should have involved more Universities in implementing the Cornwall rivers project as they would have provided scholarly insight on environmental conservation. Further, the students and administrators of these universities would be valuable allies in future conservation effort. The expertise gained by these students would be freely available to the trust, while the students would have a chance to apply the skills they learn in school to a real world environmental project. Universities worldwide are also known Fundraising skills in raising funds for research and projects, which the trust required for expansion of the Cornwall Rivers Project and future project. Conclusion The Cornwall rivers project was one of the most successful River restoration projects in Europe, demonstrating that well-targeted, locally sensitive and well informed advice can lead to increased income for farmers and a better environment. The project led to more efficient fertilizer usage at a lesser cost (Le Quesne, 2003).The project integrated good business and farm practices with environmental conservation advice leading to both better environmental quality and increased income, both goals could not have been achieved independently of each other. The quality and up-take of Cornwall Rivers project is credited to its delivery by the West Country Rivers Trust, a local body. The accrued benefits from the project far exceed the costs involved in implementing it. Abbreviation Used DEFRA - Department for Agriculture, food and rural affairs WCRT - West Country Rivers Trust CRP - Cornwall Rivers Project OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development NAO - National Audit Office References DEFRA. (2004). Strategic review of diffuse water pollution from agriculture: Initial appraisal of policy instruments to control water pollution from agriculture. Brookes, A. & Shields, D. F. (1996). River Channel Restoration: Guiding Principles for Sustainable Projects .London: Wiley. Hutchinson-Scarbrough. L. B. (2001). Kametolook River coho salmon subsistence project. Paris: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council (2001). Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. (1986). Water Pollution by Fertilizers and Pesticides Organization for Economic. West Country Rivers Trust. (2002). Cornwall Rivers Project| Aims & Objectives retrieved from http://www.cornwallriversproject.org.uk/aims_objectives.htm. Foundation for Water Research. (1996). assessing the benefits of surface water quality improvements: manual. Marlow: Foundation for Water Research. HM Treasury (2003). Green Book: Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government. Le Quesne. T. (2003). Cornwall Rivers Project Independent Economic Evaluation Preliminary Report. Manning. C. (2001). Evaluation of the Economic Benefits of Westcountry Rivers Trust Taw/Torridge Project. McClymont, E. & Jeffrey, O. (2004). Cornwall Rivers Project Evaluation Report. NAO. (2004). Helping Farm Businesses in England. The Tourism Company. (2004). [This report brings together the Findings of the South West Tourism Intelligence Study, commissioned by South West Tourism and the South West Regional Development Agency.] Tuza, E. (2000). Evaluation of Economic Benefits of the Tamar 2000 Project. Read More