Catherine McIlwraith, Eden Rivers Trust
As a Rivers Trust working in the Eden catchment in Cumbria, a lot of our work over the past year has been influenced by the impact of the 2015 winter storms. There seems to be a growing acceptance that building higher and higher walls is not a viable standalone solution to reducing flood risk. There has been a real drive from both the authorities and the public to explore alternative solutions. This has resulted in a significant increase in interest in approaches such as Natural Flood Management. However, in the push to address flooding, the focus on other issues such as water quality, biodiversity and amenity has been somewhat reduced. Eden Rivers Trust’s goal has been to deliver projects which have benefits in terms of flood risk but also deliver maximum returns for biodiversity, water quality and opportunities for local involvement. In order to do this we work closely with a range of partners including local flood action groups, research institutions, Environment Agency, Catchment Sensitive Farming and the Woodland Trust. The presentation will focus on how Eden Rivers Trust is using SCIMAP along with the results of a Durham University MRes and partner knowledge to deliver a multi-benefit NFM project on the Roe and Ive sub-catchments in the Eden.