Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

208 Chapter 8: Water Topic Box 8.3  Community projects (continued) Blue Dot Explorer. This project engages with schools in northern Donegal on the value of high-status rivers. It is led by the An Taisce Donegal Local Association in conjunction with Nature Northwest and LAWPRO. East Corrib Alliance. The group was formed by angling clubs associated with Lough Corrib and the rivers and streams on the eastern side of the lough. It delivers projects on restoration and maintenance of spawning habitat, conservation and protection of wild brown trout and salmon, and monitoring of water quality throughout the area. The funding supports the provision of fencing (below left), animal drinking troughs (including solar-powered troughs; below right) and tree planting. 14 lawaters.ie/funding (accessed 24 June 2024). 15 thewaterforum.ie (accessed 24 June 2024). The Community Water Development Fund 14 has provided funding for these groups in amounts ranging from hundreds of euros to a maximum of €25,000. Since 2018, €2.7 million has been invested in supporting 886 local community groups to carry out a range of activities aimed at protecting water quality and increasing local awareness. A further €500,000 under the new LAWPRO Catchment Support Fund will help non-governmental organisations working on water quality to develop and strengthen the skills, processes and resources they need to grow. The establishment of An Fóram Uisce 15 as a statutory stakeholder group was another key measure to improve stakeholder participation in protecting water quality. The forum has 26 members representing 13 sectors with an interest in water quality. It provides a national platform for drawing on members’ various perspectives and expertise to seek consensus and develop policy advice on the preparation and implementation of RBMPs. The development of local catchment management plans and sectoral action plans, which will be delivered during the third cycle of the RBMP, will be a further step in improving public information and increasing public participation in protecting water quality.