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Wednesday 6 February 2013

High level visit to inspire Norfolk people to protect their rivers

A new campaign to raise awareness of the value of Norfolk’s rivers and broads is being launched at the second Broads Biodiversity and Water Forum in Norwich on 5 February.

Senior Environment Agency executives, who will be visiting the Broads for the first time, will launch the Broadland Catchment Approach to a wide range of organisations, businesses, water company professionals and conservationists.

Water quality in the Broads is affected by rivers which feed into them from across Norfolk. The campaign aims to inspire people living and working in the county to care for our waterways and wildlife.

Andrea Kelly, Senior Ecologist at the Broads Authority, said: “The campaign is a new partnership approach to working on a wider scale to improve the quality of the Broads. We are all connected to the rivers and the way we live affects their quality. Everyone in Norfolk can make a difference to the water and wildlife here by changing simple living practices. The Broads Authority and its partners can’t do it alone. We need to work together.”


A new Broadland Catchment Partnership Officer, co-funded by the Broads Authority, Environment Agency, Natural England and Essex & Suffolk Water, will help lead the campaign.

William Robinson, Water Resources Manager, Essex & Suffolk Water, said: “The Broadland rivers are an important source of water for our customers. Working together on river catchments can help improve river water quality which means that less water treatment is required. This ultimately reduces the need for chemicals and the amount of energy used. We are therefore pleased to support the Broadland Rivers Catchment Approach through our contribution towards employing the new Broadland Catchment Partnership Officer”.

The Broads Biodiversity and Water Forum, which has attracted 120 professionals with an interest in the Broads, is being held in celebration of World Wetlands Day.

The Broads is a globally important wetland protected by international designations and includes Ramsar sites, Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPA).

The keynote speaker will be Jane Madgwick, Chief Executive of Wetlands International, who was formerly Head of Conservation with the Broads Authority. She will be speaking about wetlands in a global context, including examples of creating spaces for nature and people in the Netherlands.
 
Andrea Kelly will be updating the audience on the Broads Authority’s strategic partnership projects. She will focus on a project to reduce saline drainage in the Upper Thurne area, a management plan for Breydon Water - the 12th most important estuary in the UK for birds - and helping wildlife to cope with climate change.

There will also be talks on lake restoration in the Broads, protecting water by Clive Harward, Head of Water Quality and Environmental Performance at Anglian Water, and the value of water to businesses by Barbara Greasley, Chair of Broads Tourism.

To keep up to date with the event via the RSPB in the East’s twitter feed, please use #Broads and #getoutdoors and follow @rspbintheeast

31/01/13

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