Our vision is for a health river system where all interested sectors, groups or individuals may contribute towards restoring the natural environment to benefit people and wildlife now and in the future.

Our role at the Arun & Western Streams catchment partnership is to:

• Co-ordinate and facilitate partnership working, supporting the planning and delivery of action to improve the water environment

• Share information, expertise and knowledge

• Coordinate the co-design of partnership projects and programmes, providing support to secure partnership funding

• Enable a collaborative and informed approach to strategic decision-making that integrates the water environment with wider sectors

• Represent the Arun, Rother & Western Streams Freshwater environment at other more local partnerships and groups

• Respond to relevant consultations and represent the AWSCP nationally through engagement with the Catchment Based Approach and wider national groups

Our Projects

• Sussex Seaview Sussex IFCA, in partnership with the Environment Agency, have produced a report which provides an overview of the marine environment and the targets underpinned by local, national and EU legislation within Chichester Harbour. It is hoped that by collating and condensing the available information in to one report, the actions required to push for an improved environment can become clearer for all relevant bodies and partnerships’

• Catchment Systems Thinking Cooperative (CaSTCo) is a national project to create a standardised approach to river monitoring, to help protect and restore our rivers. Knowledge and skills are shared with other Rivers Trusts, Wildlife Trusts, Water Companies and the Environment Agency. By boosting the weight of national Citizen Science data we can better understand our rivers in the area, engage and educate communities and citizen scientists and utilise robust data to inform positive decision making nationwide and in the AWSCP.

• Chichester Harbour Protection and Recovery of Nature (CHaPRoN) is a long-term partnership initiative to help respond to the increasing pressures on Chichester Harbour.

  Our key objective is to protect, enhance and drive recovery of the natural environment within Chichester Harbour National Landscape and help create a landscape more resilient to climate change.

• Arun and Rother Connections (ARC) was a partnership project between the RSPB, Environment Agency, Sussex Wildlife Trust, South Downs National Park Authority, Natural England, West Sussex County Council and the Arun and Rother Rivers Trust.

• Costers Brook Connectivity Project significantly improved passage for sea trout, brown trout, eel and other coarse fish species, opening up several kilometers of watercourse.

• Hammer Stream Farmer Participation Project allowed farmers/landowners to take voluntary action to minimise their diffuse pollution impact.

• SMART - Sediment Pressures and Mitigation options for the River Rother was funded by the University of Northampton and the South Downs National Park Authority and focuses on the River Rother catchment upstream of its confluence with the River Arun at Pulborough.

• Sediment Traps in the Rother Valley focused upon sediment traps located within existing drainage ditches linked to the River Rother.

• Western Rother Fishery Habitat Enhancement Project was a partnership project that provided multiple habitat improvements on a section of the lower Rother at Shopham Bridge, just south of Petworth in West Sussex.

• Restoration & Future Management of the River Ems was a series of projects designed to improve the environment in and around this small Hampshire River.

• Upper Arun Revitalisation An exciting project to improve and enhance the upper Arun

• Channel Payments for Ecosystem Services The Western Rother is one of the six pilot areas for this project