Broadland Catchment Partnership Development Plan

The Broadland Catchment Partnership Development Plan is a project funded by the Water Restoration Fund, carried out in collaboration with the Broads Authority and the River Waveney Trust. It aims to develop a range of measures that will bring about a greater understanding of the pressures facing the Norfolk Broads, leading to the development of projects and interventions to tackle these issues at a local level.

There are many internationally important habitats in the Broads including species rich fen, reedbed, water meadows, wet woodland, and chalk streams. The project proposes to develop a detailed plan of landscape interventions across the catchment area, and a monitoring plan to provide an evidence-based approach for projects. These measures will provide a plan to improve water quality and quantity for priority habitats. Data and evidence gathered through the project will be utilised through community engagement, to influence positive behaviour change and increased respect for the water environment.

There is a need for a deeper understanding of issues at a very local scale and how these can be mitigated for. Current practices are not seeing the required changes, for example in improvements to water quality, which is critical in the Broads. By fostering inclusive coordination at the catchment scale, our solutions will be collaborative and holistic, forming part of a widescale plan for water environment restoration.

New Scientist Live

As part of the project, the Institute for Creative Technologies is building an immersive underwater tunnel to bring the insect sounds of the Waveney River to new audiences.

Between 18-20 October 2025, the tunnel was exhibited as part of New Scientist Live at Excel London. The tunnel has been developed in partnership with THURN Group passive acoustic monitoring.