Doncaster, United Kingdom
City population: 303375
Duration: 2012 – ongoing
Implementation status: Ongoing
Scale: Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Other
Last updated: October 2021

Revival is a partnership which is committed to delivering improvements for wildlife and people on the Lower Don catchment from the Don Gorge to Goole. It enables organisations over a whole host of different sectors to come together and work under one shared vision: create a committed partnership delivering improvements for wildlife and people on the Lower Don catchment. This intervention is thus a change in the governance of natural areas in and around Doncaster that leads to projects, rather than being a specific project itself. The River Don Revival project will continue to fight for the river’s future. Firstly, an action plan will layout the manual work necessary to improve the river and the catchment as a whole. In addition, the partnership intends to work with a scheme called the NW Water Rangers to encourage the public to engage in citizen science, collecting evidence of poor water quality. The partnership will also work closely with the South Follingsby Park development to implements Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems, to create new habitats and to improve the river itself. Finally, the partnership hopes to appoint a dedicated member of staff to oversee all of the work taking place on the Don. (Ref 1, 2, 7).

Don River Restoration
Don Catchment Rivers Trust
https://dcrt.org.uk/archives/1227

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Blue infrastructure
  • Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
  • Wetlands/peatlands/marshes

Key challenges

  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Flood protection
  • Improvements to water quality
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Habitat and biodiversity restoration
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
  • Inclusive governance

Focus

Strategy, plan or policy development, Improved governance of green or blue areas, Management of rivers and other blue areas

Project objectives

The ‘Revival’ vision is “a committed partnership delivering improvements for wildlife and people on the Lower Don catchment from the Don Gorge to Goole”. The objectives include improving physical access to green space, develop nature tourism, empower communities to make use of local natural resources, create and restore high-quality habitats, ecological and fishery improvement. (Ref 1)

Implementation activities

Create a partnership betweeen NGOs, the national Environment Agency, regional governments, commisions and organisations; naturalisation of over-engineered river bank of River Don; Improve river habitat to increase fish population; Purchase equipment to monitor fish populations; plant trees (Ref 1, 2).

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity restoration:

  • Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
  • Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
  • Restore native species

Main beneficiaries

  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • National government
  • Local government/municipality
  • Non-government organisation/civil society
  • Private foundation/trust
  • Citizens or community group

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Co-planning
  • Crowd-sourcing/Crowd-funding/Participatory bdget
  • Taskforce groups
  • Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys)
  • Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
  • Co-management/Joint management

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

It is a partnership between Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (NGO), that is main responsible for the communication between the other parties, which are: the Environment Agency, Doncaster Council, Don Catchment Rivers Trust, Yorkshire Water, Natural England, South Yorkshire Forest Partnership, Doncaster Naturalists, Canal & Rivers Trust, Forestry Commission, The River Stewardship Company and Network Rail. Their individual roles are not specified (Ref 1).

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Yes (The project is to be part of Water Framework Directive delivery (Ref 4). )
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (The Revival project is part of the Doncaster Green Infrastructure Strategy (Ref 4). )

Financing

Total cost

€100,000 - €500,000

Source(s) of funding

  • Other

Type of funding

  • Unknown

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Water management and blue areas
  • Improved water quality
  • Increased protection against flooding
  • Enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Reduced biodiversity loss
  • Increased number of species present

Economic impacts

  • Increase of jobs
  • Reduce financial cost for urban management

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
  • Education
  • Increased support for education and scientific research

Type of reported impacts

Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No

References

Ref 1: Revival of the Lower River Don - A framework for Action
Ref 2: Sheffield and Rotherdam Wildlife Trust (n.d.) Waterways and Standing Water. Retrieved from Source link on 28th October, 2020.
Ref 3: Sheffield and Rotherdam Wildlife Trust (n.d.) Rotherham Rivers Project. Retrieved from Source link on 28th October, 2020.
Ref 4: Metropolitan Council of Doncaster. Doncaster Green Infrastructure Strategy
Ref 5: Source link (2020) Case study:River Don Restoration project. Retrieved from Source link on 28th October, 2020.
Ref 6: The Don Network (n.d.). Our plan for River Don. Retrieved from Source link on 27th October, 2020.
Ref 7: The River Trust (2019) News Section. The River Trust. Retrieved from Source link on 27th October, 2020.
Ref 8: Don Catchment Rivers Trust (2013) Finishing for change. Retrieved from Source link on 27th October, 2020.
Ref 9: Environment Agency (2010) Don Catchment Flood Management Plan 2010. Retrieved from Source link on 28th October, 2020.