Driving Collective Action for Water Stewardship in the South West Tamar Catchment Partnership
Emily Heslop, Water Specialist | June 16th 2026
Who is WRAP?
WRAP is a global environmental action NGO working to transform food and product systems. We bring together governments, businesses, NGOs and communities to address shared environmental challenges through evidence, collaboration and practical action.
Water risk is a shared catchment risk
Food supply chains, farms, communities and ecosystems are exposed to three connected pressures:
Too Little
By 2030, freshwater demand is projected to exceed supply by 40%.
Agriculture accounts for ~72% of global freshwater withdrawals.
Too Much
Flooding and intense rainfall disrupt production and logistics.
Too Dirty
No rivers in England and Northern Ireland are currently in good overall health.
Agriculture is implicated in nearly two thirds of failing rivers.
Building climate resilience requires catchment-scale action.
The Water Roadmap
A shared framework for collective action in highrisk catchments - aligning businesses to secure freshwater and strengthen resilience.
Convened by WRAP with WWF, The Rivers Trust and 80+ leading food and drink businesses.
2030 ambition:
50% of UK fresh food sourced from catchments with sustainable water management
The Water Roadmap logic:
How collective action improves water resilience in catchments
• We focus on the highest-risk sourcing areas,
• Pool money together into joint projects in those places,
• Measure honestly what works and what doesn’t,
• And use evidence and harness collective influence to improve standards, policy and incentives… THEN
• Improved water conditions in priority catchments,
• Reduced exposure to waterrelated supply chain risk and increased resilience,
• and more volume comes from ‘safe’ areas, not ‘at risk’ ones.
Scaling Collective Action
10 110+ 1100+ 1.7 billion
Collective action projects driving catchment-level water stewardship
Businesses and organisations have signed up to the Water Roadmap
Farmers engaged and supported. 175 farm management plans implemented. Litres of water replenished back to nature across our catchments
Scaling measurable impact in priority UK and international sourcing catchments
Collective Action Projects
Impact of Collective Action Projects
Wye & Usk,
UK
Social Impact
300+ producers engaged through farm plans and training to reduce pollution and improve productivity
Environmental Impact
Recommended Key practices developed; 430 hectares of maize undersown and 3 biodiversity-rich farm wetlands built
Economic Impact
£255k of further funding unlocked to expand water restoration activity
Doñana, Spain
285+ workshop and webinar participants collaborating across the value chain
~2 hectares of habitat restored in a critical fruit growing area
Reducing legality and water risk to safeguard food supply chains
Western Cape,
South Africa
Over 100 new local jobs created for water restoration activities
10,000+ native trees and shrubs planted and 2,500 ha more land protected
£1 million of funding unlocked for on-the-ground action
South West England Collective Action Project
Delivered in partnership with Westcountry Rivers Trust
Why the South West?
Critical to UK food and drink supply chains, particularly dairy and livestock production, supporting 39% of England’s dairy herd.
Increasing water stress and declining water quality driven by:
• poor soil health
• nutrient runoff and loss of natural buffers
• increasing drought frequency and rising demand from agriculture and tourism
Protecting water in the South West is essential to secure water for communities, support resilient supply chains and restore healthy ecosystems.
What We’re Doing
The aim is to improve river health and reduce water risk through coordinated, practical action.
Enabling Collective Action
Bringing together businesses, farmers and local stakeholders, pooling resources and knowledge to coordinate action in priority catchments.
Working with Farmers
Engaging farms through 1:1 visits, soil and nutrient testing, tailored advice and water resilience planning to support practical change on the ground, alongside wider farmer engagement and training.
Delivering Naturebased Solutions
Strengthening standards
Supporting practical on-farm interventions that improve soil health, reduce nutrient and sediment runoff, and strengthen catchment resilience.
Reviewing farm assurance schemes and working with industry to strengthen water requirements, alongside developing and sharing best practice guidance.
Current Project Partners
Thank you
If you’re interested in aligning or exploring opportunities for collaboration, we’d be very happy to connect. emily.heslop@wrap.ngo