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    Profiling efforts to establish voluntary stewardship in a river catchment

    Citation

    Weiner, D., Gabbett, L., Goggin, L., Harrington, T. & Dalton, C. (2024) Profiling efforts to establish voluntary stewardship in a river catchment, Irish Geography, 56(2), https://doi.org/10.55650/igj.2023.1491.
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    Weiner, D., Gabbett, L., Goggin, L., Harrington, T. & Dalton, C. (2024) Profiling efforts to establish voluntary stewardship in a river catchment, Irish Geography.pdf (859.2Kb)
    Date
    2024-09-10
    Author
    Weiner, Donna
    Gabbett, Liz
    Goggin, Anne
    Harrington, Tom
    Dalton, Catherine
    Peer Reviewed
    Yes
    Metadata
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    Weiner, D., Gabbett, L., Goggin, L., Harrington, T. & Dalton, C. (2024) Profiling efforts to establish voluntary stewardship in a river catchment, Irish Geography, 56(2), https://doi.org/10.55650/igj.2023.1491.
    Abstract
    River water quality in Ireland is in decline. The Maigue River in County Limerick exemplifies this decline with degrading chemical and ecological water quality. The most significant pressures are agriculture, and to a lesser extent, hydromorphology, urban and domestic wastewater systems. Because human activity is a main source of pressure on riverine systems and natural habitats, part of the solution rests in increasing local community interest, involvement, and cooperation in water and catchment management initiatives. This study profiles efforts made to foster engagement with residents of the Maigue River catchment. A devastating pollution event precipitated the formation of a community water group that provided initiatives to increase public involvement in events and projects focusing on river water quality and biodiversity. Most of the initiatives would not have been possible without the individual attributes of local participants, an organisational structure (Maigue Rivers Trust), and champion (Project Officer), and supporting funds, training, and resources. These bottom-up efforts demonstrate that voluntary engagement supported by core funding helped further the public participation aims of conservation legislation (Water Framework Directive and River Basin Management Plans) and expanded catchment stewardship. However, future sustainability, with meaningful improvements in water quality, requires time, a functioning structure, and adequate resources, as part of a coherent integrated catchment management approach, if trusting relationships with local communities are to be developed and maintained.
    Keywords
    Water quality
    Community engagement
    Citizen science
    Catchment management
    Rivers Trust
    Language (ISO 639-3)
    eng
    Publisher
    Geographical Society of Ireland
    Rights
    Open Access
    License URI
    https://irishgeography.ie/index.php/irishgeography/article/view/1491
    DOI
    10.55650/igj.2023.1491
    URI
    https://dspace.mic.ul.ie/handle/10395/3428
    ISSN
    1939-4055
    Collections
    • Geography (Peer-reviewed publications)

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