Government launch catchment management approach 
Reporting research and providing resources for water management and protection. A website coordinated by the Centre for Development, Environment and Policy, SOAS, University of London, and initially funded by the Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU) programme of the UK Research Councils. Leading partners are the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia and the Cornell University Law School.
The aim of catchment management is to meet the needs and aspirations of society by delivering safe drinking water, food production and a healthy environment. It must take account of the demands and effects of farming and forestry, industry, recreation, water supply, waste management, drainage and economic development.
In Europe catchment management is needed to achieve the aims of the The Water Framework Directive (WFD). Under this EU-wide legislation Member States must aim to reach good chemical and ecological status in inland and coastal waters by 2015.
The challenges of catchment management are complex. There can be uncertainty about how a catchment works and disagreements about how land and water should be used and managed. Successful catchment management requires both good science and good management decisions from governance that is accepted as legitimate and fair.