What is iCASP?

ICASP’s (Yorkshire Integrated Catchment Solutions Programme)  partners make it an ambitious and exciting program to generate benefits for Yorkshire by applying environmental science to the challenges of the watershed.

It is a 5-year program, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, whose objective is:

• Generate over £ 50 million in benefits for the Yorkshire economy by influencing investments, identifying cost savings and creating new products and jobs
• Create a network of experts in watershed management
• Inform policies and strategies
• Produce materials that help environmental science to be used by professionals.

This case study focuses on the Yorkshire Ouse drainage basin, home to 6.7% of the UK population, 30% of the Northern Powerhouse region, including 10 metropolitan municipalities, and covers one third of the North of England. It contains the basins of the following rivers: Aire, Calder, Derwent, Don, Nidd, Ouse, Swale, Ure, Wharfe.

Why this geographical area?

This catchment area faces complex and costly challenges: floods and droughts, soil and water degradation, loss of productive agricultural land, and important ecosystems.

In addition, there are also high levels of regional investment, in cities like Leeds with the development of the South Bank and a new flood relief scheme, and in natural flood management and peatland restoration programs in highland areas.

These types of programs provide opportunities to use existing environmental science to address the specific knowledge needs and to use a better return on investment. We are confident that we can help deliver multiple benefits by working with basin-wide associations that adopt an integrated approach to water and land management.

Now, you can visit the iCASP webpage by clicking here.