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The overall objective of the Wensum Demonstration Test Catchment project has been to assess the effectiveness of a variety of land management measures aimed at reducing diffuse pollution from agricultural activities across the whole river catchment.
Farming is not the sole cause of diffuse pollution but it does contribute approximately 60 per cent of nitrate, 25 per cent of phosphorus and 70 per cent of sediments entering our waters, amongst other pollutants. Defra’s England Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative programme operates in the Wensum catchment and is encouraging land managers to undertake measures funded under Defra’s agri-environmental stewardship schemes that will help to reduce diffuse pollution.
The extensive monitoring work undertaken in the Wensum Demonstration Test Catchment will help provide the ‘evidence base’ to assess how well these measures are working and develop recommendations that will help refine future agri-environmental policy to reduce pollution further.