Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund

The project aims to:

• Strengthening and achieving the aims set out in the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan
• Building sustainable funding mechanisms for environmental improvements, advocating greater delegation of delivery from government agencies to the third sector and Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) communities

Our UK freshwater environment faces multiple threats from loss of habitat, damaged soils, water abstraction and pollution. Levels of abstraction are unsustainable in more than a quarter of groundwater bodies and up to one-fifth of surface waters. Only 14% of waterbodies in England achieved the standard of Good Ecological Status (healthy) as defined by the EU Water Framework Directive. There is risk of insufficient water for people, farmers, business and wildlife without improvements in infrastructure and efficiency according to the National Infrastructure Commission.

Time scale:

The Project is due to run until December 2021 but may be extended due to the impact of Covid 19 measures slowing down some of the operational delivery.

Partners:

• The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and The Rivers Trust (RT) are the key partners
• Norfolk Rivers Trust, South East Rivers Trust, Tweed Forum and the Wye and Usk Foundation are supporting RT delivery on the ground
• On delivery of policy and legislative matters RT are working closely with WWF and Angling Trust