ICLRD and the Border Regional Authority hosted a workshop on “River Basin Management Plans: Cross-Border Cooperation and the Role of Spatial Planning” on Wednesday 17th of October at the Monaghan County Council Chambers. Senior planners and representatives from the Northern Ireland Environmental Agency and the Department of Environment Community and Local Government, attended the seminar among others.
The workshop is a follow-up to a series of reports and documentation of good practices in cross-border river basin management undertaken by ICLRD. The reports were part of ICLRD’s CroSPlaN I programme, an INTERREG IVA funded-project administered by the SEUPB.
Dr. Cormac Walsh opened the seminar examining international best practice for cross-border collaboration in river basin management, while Damien Allen from the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government provided an overview of the structural changes being undertaken to improve the implementation of River Basin Management Plans in the Republic of Ireland.
| Negotiated Governance Approach to River Basin Management |
 Source: Dr. Cormac Walsh, The Elbe River Basin District: Integrated Cross Border Management in Practice, ICLRD 2011 |
Alvin Wilson and Chris Boomer, from Northern Ireland Environmental Agency and the Northern Ireland Planning Service respectively, addressed implementation issues and opportunities in Northern Ireland and highlighted the importance of small-scale approaches to water resource management. Ciarán Tracey from Leitrim County Council and Donald Casey Tony McNally from Donegal County Council, provided local perspectives and tackled practical implementation issues, emphasising the need for a robust evidence-base as well as effective cross-sectoral and inter-jurisdictional communication. The conclusions and recommendations of the workshop will be made available as an ICLRD briefing paper. The seminar presentations are available for download:
- Dr. Cormac Walsh: Spatial Planning, Cross-border Cooperation and River Basin Management: Learning from International Experience.
- Ciarán Tracey: River Basin Management Plans and County Development Plans.
- Chris Boomer: River Basin Management Plans and Spatial Planning in Northern Ireland.
- Tony McNally: Freshwater Pearl Mussel.
