The River Severn Partnership is pleased to highlight the publication of the Severn2100 ‘Pathways to Action Planning: Warwickshire Avon Case Study’, an important milestone in developing a long-term approach to climate adaptation across the Severn catchment.
Building on the successful ‘River Severn Adaptation Pathways Pilot’, the Warwickshire Avon case study demonstrates how adaptation pathway planning can be translated into practical actions at a catchment scale. The work explores how communities, businesses, infrastructure providers and public bodies can make informed decisions over time as climate risks evolve.
The findings will directly inform the development of the ‘Severn Adaptation Plan’, a major partnership initiative that will provide a long-term, catchment-scale strategy for improving climate resilience across the Severn region. The Plan aims to bring together partners from local government, environmental organisations, infrastructure sectors, businesses and communities to identify and coordinate the actions needed to adapt to increasing climate challenges, focusing on flooding, but taking a water systems view considering water resource and water quality pressures and environmental change.
The emerging ‘Severn Adaptation Plan’ has recently been discussed by the River Severn Partnership Board and is being developed alongside wider regional initiatives, including Local Government emerging Spatial Development Strategies, helping to ensure a coordinated approach to future growth, investment and resilience.
The programme has attracted significant interest across the water and environmental sectors. Lessons from the Severn work have been shared at national and international events including World Water Week, Flood & Coast, the River Restoration Centre Conference and the IAHR World Congress. This growing recognition has helped establish the Severn region as a leading example of collaborative, catchment-scale climate adaptation.
Importantly, the River Severn pilot is believed to be the first application of adaptation pathway planning to a river system in the UK, demonstrating the River Severn Partnership's commitment to innovation, collaboration and long-term resilience.
The Warwickshire Avon Case Study and previous project reports are available to view on the programme website Adaptation Pathways Programme | Engage Environment Agency .The River Severn Partnership welcomes continued engagement with partners as work progresses on the Severn Adaptation Plan and the shared ambition of creating a climate-resilient future for the Severn catchment.