Would you like to work with us to improve Water Catchment Management in your area? 

• Active community participation in the protection and restoration of our natural waters is vital – would you like to be part of a process designing a new water catchment-based community participation framework in Ireland? 

The draft River Basin Management Plan (2022-2027) includes an action for the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) to examine ways in which further support can be provided for the formation and capacity building of local fora to help identify and implement measures.  

Discussion is essential with community representatives, as well as with other stakeholders, to get a clear understanding of the possible role of local fora, termed Catchment Community Fora, and how they could be established over time in each of the 46 catchments in Ireland.  

To examine these aspects and related matters, a phased process is proposed.  

• Phase 1 (2023): A scoping phase that will allow for synergies with existing structures and proposed new ones such as the PPNs, Biodiversity and Climate fora, to be examined in detail so that there is no duplication of effort.  It will harness the experience, views, and differences in the community landscape in five catchments across Ireland through a series of workshops proposed to be held post publication of the River Basin Management Plan for Ireland 2022 - 2027.  It is not intended to formally establish fora in the 5 pilot catchments in 2023. It is now expected that the Plan will be published in late 2023.
  • Workshop: Introduction to the Catchment Community Fora & RBMP 2022 - 2027.  

    • Need for the forum – the why, 

    • Explore the membership & representation (sectoral plus geographical), 

    • Role and objectives of the forum, 

    • Interaction with other structures and fora e.g., Climate, Biodiversity, Heritage etc.,  

    • Possible operational structures – how it will operate? and 

    • Funding supports needed.

• Phase 2 : Establish a committee to design a framework for the establishment in 2024 of a Community Forum in each of the 5 pilot hydrometric catchments based on Stakeholder feedback from the workshops and any other relevant reports.  Once framework is agreed with the DHLGH then a Fora rollout plan will be formulated for 2024.