Partnership Working

The Partnership:

No one single organisation has either the regulatory powers or the resource base to address the issues of diffuse pollution effecting the Bourne Stream.  In recognition of this fact, a collaborative approach was viewed as the only way forward.

The move away from the traditional ad-hoc approach to environmental management requires Partner organisations voluntarily 'do their bit'.

This integrated style of management provides access to many resources and complementary skills that might otherwise be unavailable.  It also provides the opportunity for 'joined up thinking' on environmental issues. 

The Partnership provides the impetus to turn ideas into practice and tackle difficult environmental issues for the benefit of the local community and wildlife.

The Partnership Approach

EU research into Coastal Zone Management has shown that there are four main obstacles to the success of this integrated approach:

• lack of relevant knowledge;

• inappropriate and uncoordinated laws;

• failure to involve all stakeholders;

• poor coordination between relevant administrative bodies.

The Bourne Stream Partnership initiative addresses three of these four problem areas.

Relevant knowledge : Access to relevant knowledge has been simplified by the production of a central database which brings together baseline information from within and outside the Partnership, including maps, historical data, lists of past, current and proposed reports and studies and partner contact information.  Produced and distributed on CD-Rom, it can quickly and easily be up-dated on a regular basis.  More recently, of course, this website is another source of information - for the local community, partners and other interested parties.

Involving all stakeholders : The Partnership has extended its communication with stakeholders beyond those concerned simply with the Bourne Stream itself and includes a good mix of partner organisations from both the public and private sector.  The Partnership remains open to new membership and actively seeks participative input from the public, local community groups, etc.  

Good coordination : A strong communication network has been created between partners; both the Steering Group and the full membership meet on a regular basis, and between times make good use of e-mail to keep up-to-date with developments. 

Voluntary partnerships are still in their infancy and have much to prove.  It is possible that the Bourne Stream Partnership initiative can be used as a model in other parts of the UK and Europe where there are issues of water quality and catchment management.  

The Project Officer

Sarah Austin has an MSc in Coastal Zone Management from Bournemouth University and started work as the Partnership's Project Officer on 1st April 2003 to:

• carry out the day-to-day running of Partnership projects;

• develop solid links between the Partnership, local and business communities and other academic institutions;

• co-ordinate and communicate the work of the Partnership to meet strategy objectives;

• provide a link to other research both internal and external to the Partnership;

• assist in gaining additional funding;

• analyse and evaluate the approaches taken by the Partnership.

The post was funded by partners for more than three years, eventually coming to an end in June 2006.  In September 2006 Sarah was employed as a Project Officer by partner organisation Borough of Poole Leisure Services unit, which has allowed her to continue work on the Coy Pond and Alderney Recreation Ground project.