Saving Eden Coalition: Terms of Reference

Saving Eden Coalition: Terms of Reference

The time has come for a new approach if we are to save the Eden...

The Saving Eden Coalition (The Coalition) is the Catchment Partnership for the River Eden. It is an over-arching organisational partnership that represents the four key audiences of the Eden catchment: Farmers & Land Managers; Communities; Politicians and Planners; and Investors. The formation of the Coalition represents a new approach in catchment management. We have some of the pieces of the jigsaw in place in terms of skills and some high levels of current investment. However, the missing pieces are co-ordination, communication, shared objectives, structure, targets and accountability. The Coalition aims to get these in place to drive better and faster outcomes for the Eden catchment.

Purpose:

•  Co-ordination: to co-ordinate actions and share knowledge across the partnership to drive better and faster outcomes for the Eden catchment and its landscape, people and wildlife;

•  Shared objectives: to work collaboratively to make consensus recommendations, agree shared principles and identify how members can support the seven big outcomes;

•  Targets and accountability: to set clear and transparent delivery targets and monitor progress against them.

Membership of the Coalition is open to key representatives and decision makers of the four ‘Saving Eden’ audiences. The current membership comprises the following:

Carlisle City Council (Jillian Hale, Phil Gray), Cherish Eden Community (Joanne Spencer), Cumbria County Council (Anthony Lane), Eden District Council (Ruth Atkinson, Kevin Beaty), Eden Demonstration Test Catchment Project (Phil Haygarth), Eden Rivers Trust (Simon Johnson, Glyn Vaughan), Environment Agency (Elaine Fisher), Forestry Commission (Penny Oliver), Lake District National Park Authority (Mark Eccles), Local Nature Partnership & Cumbria Wildlife Trust (David Harpley), National Trust (Michael Innerdale), Natural England (Simon Humphries, Maggie Robinson), Newton Rigg College (Wes Johnson), Saving Eden Farming Think Tank (Julia Aglionby (Foundation for Common Land), Helen Forrester (NFU), Richard Price (Lowther Estate), James Raine (Upland Sheep Farmer), Will Rawling (Upland Sheep Farmer), James Rebanks (Upland Sheep Farmer), Laura Teesdale (DairyCo), James Turner (Brackenburgh Estate), Robert Warburton (Dairy Farmer), River Eden & District Fisheries Association (Mike Ashwin), RSPB (Bill Kenmir) United Utilities (Paul Henbrey, Kevin Sayers).

The Coalition will remain open for other key representatives from the 4 audiences to join at any point in the future.

Frequency: Three ‘whole day’ meetings per year.

Structure

Operating principles – Member responsibility

Twelve Guiding Principles for the Coalition;

1.  Honesty about why most plans fail

•  Commit to attending meetings and to taking part in collaborative discussions and decision making. If unable to attend ensure appropriate representation at decision making level.

2.  Dare to do it differently

•  Be bold enough to look at new and different ways of delivering solutions.

3.  Listen more, listen well

•  Be open to listen to what each and every member of the Coalition has to say.

4.  Measure better to manage better

•  Be willing to share information and data with each other to both improve knowledge of the catchment and support decision making.

5.  Prioritise solutions

•  Commit to developing integrated ‘Win:Win’ solutions that work for both the environment and people.

6.  Incentivise positive change

•  Be a champion for the Catchment Based Approach and support your staff, colleagues and/or peers to participate in Saving Eden.

7.  Communicate wider and better

•  Help to communicate key Saving Eden messages to a wider audience. (No Jargon!)

8.  Catchment scale partnership

•  Agree to ‘Think Catchment’ and to support the ‘Co-delivery’ mantra.

9.  Partners deliver to their strengths

•  Recognise other members’ strengths. Get the right people to do the right job at the right time.

10.  Set clear targets

•  Commit to what needs to change and when it needs to happen.

11.  Clear commitments

•  Commit time and investment to make the plan work.

12.  Honesty milestones

•  Commit to publicising targets and to being judged against them.