Environment event showcases partnership working in the North East

An event to showcase the work to improve the environment and protect people and property took place at the Great North Museum last week.  Hosted by the Environment Agency, in partnership with Naturvation and the Newcastle Learning and Action Alliance, more than 30 stalls demonstrated how they are working with partner organisations across the North East to create a better place for people and wildlife.

We demonstrated our Augmented Reality Sandbox with support from Dorian Latham, Technical Director, and others from JBA Consulting’s Newcastle office.  The demonstration focused on Natural Flood Management using similar scenarios to that used in the recent Rivers Trust training event.

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Visitors to the Great North Museum add virtual rain to the catchment they have shaped in the sandbox

Rob Carr, organiser of the event from the Environment Agency in the North East, commented,

“The community brings local knowledge and expertise about where they live and are vital to embedding long-term improvements and maintaining the health of the fantastic river systems we have here in the North East.   There’s already some great partnership working taking place to improve the environment and this showcases what we are doing together to develop and enhance our water environment, while also protecting people and the environment.”

Catchment based approach

The free event was open to the general public, businesses and partners, including Tyne Rivers Trust, Northumbrian Water, Natural History Society, Newcastle City Council and The Water Hub who all shared the latest information about their projects.

The stalls covered a wide range of environmental challenges including flood risk management,  ecology, biodiversity, reducing the impact of minewater and tackling invasive species as well as many other topics centred on the health of our environment, including rivers, estuaries, coast and groundwater.

Focusing on the Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) which looks at a river system in its entirety, the event encouraged the whole community to work together to improve our precious water environments and adapt to climate change, while also looking to add other benefits such as health, recreation, social and economic improvements.

Thank you to the organisers for setting up a fantastic event and all those who took part in the sandbox demonstration – we learn something new every time!

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