Advisory and Stakeholder Groups

A number of groups and forums have been established to encourage a wide involvement and participation of interested parties in the implementation of the WFD in Scotland. These can be divided into two main types:

• River Basin Planning and Advisory Groups and Forums

National Advisory Group (NAG)
This Group is responsible for co-ordinating the work of the Area Advisory Groups and overseeing and contributing to the production of the final River Basin Management Plans.

The NAG is made up of representatives from responsible authorities, national stakeholders and organisations working at a strategic level.  The membership of the Group can be found at:
(http://www.sepa.org.uk/water/river_basin_planning/national_advisory_group.aspx)

Area Advisory Groups
The Scotland River Basin District is divided into eight areas, each with its own Area Advisory Group:

• North East Scotland
• Tay
• Forth
• Clyde
• Argyll
• West Area Highland
• North Area Highland
• Orkney & Shetland.

To allow Area Advisory Groups to provide an effective link to local stakeholders and expertise they need to be made up of representatives appropriate to the area. Membership will be driven largely by the issues and activities that are locally important, the organisations present in the area and the relative significance of the different water types in the area.

Detailed maps of the Area Advisory Group network are available at:  Advisory Group boundaries map

Area Advisory Group Forums
For river basin management planning to reach beyond the National Advisory Group and Area Advisory Groups and their members, each Area Advisory Group will form an Advisory Group Forum with provision for a wide and open membership. This will allow a wide body of interests to provide input to, and be regularly informed of, progress in river basin planning without needing to be involved in the detail of the plan production process.

In addition, information will be made available to the public in different forms and formats. Together with the National Advisory Group and Area Advisory Groups, these arrangements will provide the components of a participative and inclusive process. This will allow active involvement, provide consultative opportunities and make information available on an ongoing basis.

• WFD Stakeholder Groups

Scottish Government’s national stakeholder forum
Scottish ministers access information on any aspect of the Controlled Activities Regulations (CAR), via Scottish Government’s national stakeholder forum.

Regulatory Stakeholder Group and Economic Advisory Stakeholder Group
These Groups ensure that external stakeholder views are taken into account in the development of charging schemes, regulatory regimes and economic analysis tools.

Further information can be found at:
(http://www.sepa.org.uk/water/water_regulation/charging_scheme/stakeholder_groups.aspx)

Scottish Freshwater Environment Monitoring Strategy
This Group aims to engage SEPA and other partners in the development and delivery of freshwater environmental monitoring and data collection systems.
(http://www.sepa.org.uk/water/monitoring_and_classification/scottish_monitoring_strategy.aspx)