The Freshwater Biological Association stands down from the Love Windermere Partnership

The Freshwater Biological Association has regrettably decided to resign from the Love Windermere Partnership with immediate effect.

Over 18 months ago, the Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) joined the Love Windermere Partnership with the ambition of helping to drive significant environmental and ecological improvements in the Leven catchment. The FBA no longer feels the partnership is delivering at the pace and with the focus required to bring lasting improvements to the ecology of Windermere.

We also acknowledge concerns regarding the content of the recent BBC Panorama documentary ‘The Water Pollution Cover-Up’ (featuring Cunsey Beck) into the conduct and professional integrity of UK water companies and regulators. The FBA shares some of the concerns raised in the Panorama programme, and would support changes in the way water company checks are carried out at wastewater sites. To enable this, there must be adequate investment from the Government to carry out these statutory duties to the standard required. We hope the concerns raised during Panorama will not impact the partnership’s ability to act decisively and independently in the best interests of the future health of Windermere.

The FBA’s 94 years of commitment to understanding and rejuvenating Windermere will remain as strong as ever. Our collaborative projects on Windermere with academic, NGO and citizen science networks are enabling positive outcomes for Windermere. These include;

·        Co-ordinating and delivering the Big Windermere Survey and sharing our data openly.

·        Developing and implementing an innovative Arctic charr monitoring and conservation project.

·        Rolling out new citizen science initiatives, such as Lakefly

·        Participating in the ‘Becks to Bay’ Catchment Partnership

·        Collaborating on reedbed restoration projects.

Data from these programmes will remain open access and available to all stakeholders.

The Freshwater Biological Association would like to acknowledge some of the great work of individual Love Windermere partners, such as the provision of new land management / non-mains drainage advisory campaigns and the trialling of innovative ‘off-network’ wastewater technologies. However, resigning from the partnership will free up our capacity to re-focus on our mission of delivering and disseminating action focused, independent science. 

FBA looks forward to supporting the ambition and efforts of all stakeholders to rejuvenate this iconic waterbody for the benefit of nature and people.