Evaluation of Resilient Catchment Communities
Client: Westcountry Rivers Trust
Duration: 3 months
Funder: Good Growth Fund
Evaluation approach
The Social Research Unit was commissioned to provide an evaluation which would enable the Westcountry Rivers Trust to evidence project impacts and effectiveness. The project was evaluated through interviews with the hosting demonstration sites and delivery partners, and a performance review of the outcomes data. The evaluation provided insights to better understand how and why outcomes have been met or exceeded, the impacts, and whether anticipated benefits have been realised. The evaluation included a comprehensive process evaluation alongside an impact evaluation.
Outcomes and impacts
All six sites are available for visits from other landowners and the general public as demonstrators for the next five years.
Key successes included exceeding the target for the number of properties better protected from flooding, surpassing its target for financial support to enterprises, and actively engaging volunteers.
Overview
Led by Westcountry Rivers Trust, working alongside the University of Plymouth and Duchy College, the Resilient Catchment Communities project, funded by the Good Growth Fund, aimed to deliver six natural flood management demonstration sites in partnership with farms and other landowners across Cornwall. These sites sought to include a diverse range of sustainable natural flood management measures, involving minimum intervention for maintenance. The sites also aimed to be publicly accessible and demonstrate the benefits of flood and drought resilience to the landowners and the nearby communities. In addition, the project aimed to explore innovative approaches to citizen science, encouraging the downstream communities to participate and collaborate in educational activities relating to the project. This was supported by research exploring how these activities can foster flood data collection and raise awareness, carried out by project partner, the University of Plymouth.