Forum
Winter Forum 2012
The 2012 Exe Estuary Forum took place on 7th February and was a great success with 100 people attending to hear presentations on:
A summary of the Partnership’s work over the
last year
The final Disturbance Study report
Living with a Changing Coast (LiCCo)
Lower Halsdon Farm
The Exe Estuary Patrol Boat
The Jet Ski User Group
Ethical Credentials of Exmouth Mussels
Exeter Canal and Basins Community Group
MPApps – Applying mobile technology to the Exe Estuary
Litter Free Coast and Sea
All presentations can be viewed below
In addition, as part of the forum the attendees broke into workshop groups, according to the area of the estuary that is of particular interest / relevance to them. This was undertaken so that a baseline understanding of the suitability of existing communication methods could be established and improved to raise awareness of the LiCCo project and Exe Estuary Strategy amongst Exe Estuary stakeholders and communities for each part of the estuary.
Feedback
100 people attended the Exe Estuary Forum with 37 of those completing a feedback questionnaire, the results of which can be seen below.
Forum Feedback | Strongly Agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly Disagree |
The conference was worth attending | 50% | 50% | ||
Everything was well organised | 50% | 47% | 3% | |
The presentations were interesting | 41% | 57% | 2% | |
The themes covered were relevant to me | 29% | 68% | 3% | |
The venue was suitable | 53% | 47% | ||
I would like to attend the Forum again in the future | 51% | 46% | 3% | |
The Forum is a key opportunity for me to learn more about the Exe Estuary, get involved and have my views heard | 37% | 55% | 8% | |
I value the work of the Exe Estuary Partnership | 66% | 34% |
These are positive results for the future direction of the Forum with 100% of feedback stating that that the Forum was worth attending, that the venue was suitable and that they value the work of the Exe Estuary Partnership.
General comments received through these feedback forms are listed at the end of this report and help to explain the reasoning for the disagreements noted. The feedback and comments will be used to develop the Forum in the future, taking onboard ideas for improvements and integrating them into the very successful current format of this annual event.
Sectoral Balance
The sectoral representation of the attendees was analysed to investigate the balance of interests represented at the Forum. The attendees have been grouped according to sector, for example ‘Environmental’ covers site managers, conservation charities and other wildlife interest groups.
As can be seen from the pie chart below, in general there was a very broad representation of different sectors from those with a commercial interest in the estuary to those representing the Local Authorities around the Exe, including Councillors. Reassuringly these groups are relatively well balanced and are in line with the expected proportion of interest groups on the estuary with Recreation, Commercial, and Environmental (the more dominant interests of the estuary) showing relatively equal representation.
General Comments Received
“Thank you, very good meeting.”
“The presentations were interesting, especially the soapbox."
“V. informative”
"MPApps – mobile technology – a really useful App for many estuary users.” "Really important for spreading info on e.g. impact of global warming, tide rises by location, etc”.
"It was a pity that a v.small group were allowed to dominate the 1st part of the Forum with their personal complaints.”
"Great to see such a room full of people.”
View Presentations
To view the powerpoint presentation for each speaker please select them from the agenda below:
Agenda
6.30 Arrival & refreshments
Chance to view Exmouth Rotary / EEMP Fundraising Device
7.00 Introduction: Neil Downes, Forum Chair
7.10 A Partnership update: Stephanie Clark, Exe Estuary Officer
7.20 Questions
7.25 The Final Disturbance Study Report: Durwyn Liley, Footprint Ecology
7.35 Questions
7.40 Living with a Changing Coast (LiCCo): Martin Davies, Environment Agency
- Including an update on the Exe Estuary Strategy
7.50 Questions
8.00 Workshops: Living with a Changing Coast (LiCCo) [see workshop notes here]
8.35 Reconvene in main Conference Room
Soapbox sessions
8.40 Exeter Canal and Basins Community Group: Don Lang
8.45 Have Your Say at Lower Halsdon Farm: Peter Blyth, National Trust
8.50 An overview of the Exe Estuary Patrol Boat: Andy Phillips, Lead Coxswain
8.55 Jet Ski User Group: Colin Bray, Local Jet Skier
9.00 Ethical Credentials of Exmouth Mussels: Myles Blood Smyth, Exmouth Mussel Company
9.05 MPApps - Applying Mobile Technology to the Exe Estuary: Andrew Jeffrey, University of Exeter
9.10 Litter Free Coast and Sea: Matilda Bark, Dorset Coast Forum
9.15 Questions to soapbox presenters
9.30 Close
LiCCo Feedback
Of the 100 people who attended the Exe Estuary Forum, 31 completed the LiCCo feedback questionnaire, the results of which can be seen below.
LiCCo Questions | Strongly Agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly Disagree | Don't Know |
1. I understand what is meant by the term coastal change | 38% | 56% | 6% | ||
2. I understand the impacts that sea level rise may have on my community /the Exe Estuary | 23% | 44% | 15% | 15% | 3% |
3. I understand what is covered by the Shoreline Management Plan | 12% | 56% | 20% | 12% | |
4. I understand how I can input to the Exe Estuary Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy | 9% | 47% | 26% | 12% | 6% |
5. I am satisfied with the communications that I currently receive about the Exe Estuary Strategy | 12% | 41% | 29% | 15% | 3% |
6. What do you think coastal change will mean for your community and/or the Exe Estuary in general? What threats and opportunities might there be?
“Habitat loss & damage & the need to plan for this to maintain areas suitable to accommodate bird populations for which the estuary is currently designated.”
“Possible loss of beach."
"Increased risk of inundation by sea.”
“Changes in the Exe in general.”
“It’s about anticipating change & how to positively respond in a proactive way rather than reactively.”
"Threat to ship canal, especially Topsham Lock.”
“Have not had any information to be able to assess this.”
“Exmouth faces serious change with sea level rise & longshore drift.”
“The big threat is that we act on presumption and not proven fact.”
“No evidence of sea level rising in the Exe or Clyst since I arrived in 1963.”
“Impact on wildlife, coastal configuration & environment."
"Tourism.”
“Loss of land.”
“What is being done to protect infrastructure (train lines, roads, etc)."
"Is flooding fields enough to protect & conserve local economy?”
“I think we should be careful not to over estimate coastal change & spend more than is justified.”
“Sea Front’s HQ location could become isolated with nearby flooding in the longer term.”
“The loss of the Railway embankment and a breach at Dawlish Warren.”
7. Please let us know about any local events that you feel would present a good opportunity to raise awareness about coastal change?
“Attend meetings of SW Regional Flood & Coast Committee, to be held open to public in future.”
“Boating club forums.”
“Exmouth Festival"
"Exmouth Rotary Kite Festival"
"Jurassic Classic Cycle Event – 8th July.”
“Farmers Market"
"Talking to local groups – of any interest.”
“Sailing Club Training Events.”
“Public meeting at Topsham.”
“This Forum”
“Use Topsham Community Association & Topsham Society to organise an open exhibition."
"Advertise (through) Estuary Magazine, local radio & posters.”
“Targetted focus groups (as with the EDDC Exmouth Town Centre & Sea Front Management Plan exercise).”
“Parish Councils”
8. Do you have any suggestions as to which locations (and venues) should be considered to hold meetings or events related to the Exe Estuary Strategy (Living with a Changing Coast project)?
"Elizabeth Hall, Exmouth (Local Authority Hall)"
"Exmouth Community College (Telfer Conference Room)"
“Trips on Exe."
"Regular column in press.”
“Pavilion, Exmouth"
"Town Hall, Exmouth.”
“Exmouth Festival."
"Leaflets via Rail Users Group.”
“Information in the Strand & Parade areas. Possibly Sea Front area.”
“Mathews Hall, Topsham”
"Globe Hotel – Malthouse"
"Darts Farm”
“Former Rolle College premises"
"Public Meetings could be held in Starcross School Hall or the Bowling Club Rooms.”
Any additional comments
“The disturbance of birds will not be taken seriously as long as the wild fowlers & Royal Marines & trains make the noise they do in the way they do!”
“Post results of workshop online and put the wealth of local knowledge (in the) public domain.”
“There are not only birds. Tourism is important. Activities are important.”
“LiCCo & EA need to urgently engage with the Lower Clyst land owners & address their concerns.”
PAST FORUM EVENTS:
Winter Forum 2011
Another successful Forum took place on 3rd February 2011, with ninety people attending to hear presentations on:
The successes of the Partnership over the last 4 years
The progress of the Exe Estuary Strategy
The interim results of the Disturbance Study
The future of the estuary Patrol Boat
Starcross Yacht Club’s new Environmental Policy
An update on the management of the RSPB’s estuary reserves
In addition, as part of the forum the attendees broke into workshop groups, according to the area of the estuary that is of particular interest / relevance to them, so that the disturbance study results could be discussed in more detail addressing specific issues that have been identified for each part of the estuary.
It was with sadness and fond memories that Jenny Lockett declared that this would be her last Forum as Exe Estuary Officer, as she moves on to an exciting new job. Following Jenny's leaving presentation, we were delighted to see Neil Downes and Lynn Trout re-elected as Forum Chair and Vice Chair respectively.
Feedback
Of the ninety people who attended the Exe Estuary Forum, more than half completed a feedback questionnaire, the results of which can be seen below:
Forum Feedback | Strongly agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly disagree |
The conference was worth attending | 70% | 30% | ||
Everything was well organised | 63% | 37% | ||
The presentations were interesting | 51% | 47% | 2% | |
The themes covered were relevant to me | 38% | 62% | ||
The venue was suitable | 64% | 36% | ||
I would like to attend the Forum again in the future | 66% | 34% | ||
The Forum is a key opportunity for me to learn more about the Exe Estuary, get involved and have my views heard | 66% | 34% | ||
I value the work of the Exe Estuary Partnership | 70% | 28% | 2% |
These are very positive results for the future direction of the Forum with 100% of feedback stating that that the Forum was worth attending, well organised, relevant to them, they would like to attend again, and they view the Forum as a key opportunity to learn about the estuary. The feedback and comments from these questionnaires will be used to develop the Forum in the future, taking onboard ideas for improvements and integrating them into the very successful current format of this annual event.
Sectoral Balance
The sectoral representation of the attendees was analysed to investigate the balance of interests represented at the Forum. The attendees have been grouped according to sector, for example ‘Environmental’ covers site managers, conservation charities and other wildlife interest groups.
As can be seen from the pie chart below, in general there was a very broad representation of different sectors from those with a commercial interest in the estuary to those representing the Local Authorities around the Exe, including Councillors. Reassuringly these groups are relatively well balanced and are in line with the expected proportion of interest groups on the estuary with Recreation, Commercial, and Environmental (the more dominant interests of the estuary) showing comparable representation.
View Presentations
To view the powerpoint presentation for each speaker please select them from the agenda below:
Agenda
6.30 Arrival & refreshments
Chance to view East Devon District Council’s new educational film Ecologic
7.00 Welcome and safety notices, Aidan Winder
7.05 Election of Chair and Vice Chair, Cllr Bernard Hughes OBE
7.10 Introduction: Neil Downes, Forum Chair
7.15 Looking back over the last 4 years, a Partnership update – Jenny Lockett
7.30 Questions
7.35 Exe Estuary Strategy: Steve Rendell, Environment Agency
7.45 Questions
7.55 Results of the Disturbance Study: Durwyn Liley, Footprint Ecology
8.10 Workshops: How can we make best use of this information? (See workshop notes here)
8.55 Reconvene in Council Chamber
Soapbox sessions
9.00 The future of the Estuary Patrol Boat
9.05 Starcross Yacht Club’s new Environmental Policy
9.10 Managing the RSPB’s reserves
9.15 Questions to soapbox presenters
9.30 Close
Exe Estuary Winter Forum 2010
The Exe Estuary Forum, on Thursday 28th January, proved a great success with more than 80 people attending to learn about the projects and studies taking place on the estuary.
Feedback forms completed on the night have provided us the opportunity to analyse the sectoral balance of the Forum as well as gather feedback about the event itself.
As can be seen from the pie chart the Partnership has worked hard to ensure that the Forum receives interest from a broad and very even cross-section of local businesses, community interests and organisations as well as the many and varied recreational clubs on the Exe.
The Feedback questions and answers can be seen in Table 1. Of the 81 attendees 50 feedback forms were submitted and have been collated to create a percentage of answers for each question. The results are a fantastic indication of the value of the Forum and the success of this particular event with 100% of attendees agreeing that the Forum was worth attending, that it was interesting, and that the themes covered were relevant to them. Furthermore 100% of the attendees stated that they would like to attend the Forum again and that they felt it was a key opportunity to learn more about the Exe Estuary and get involved. In terms of the Partnership and the services that it delivers, 100% of Forum attendees agreed that they value the work of the Partnership with 70% strongly agreeing.
Table 1: Forum Feedback | Strongly agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly disagree |
The conference was worth attending | 58% | 42% | ||
Everything was well organised | 56% | 40% | 2% | 2% |
The presentations were interesting | 46% | 54% | ||
The themes covered were relevant to me | 40% | 60% | ||
The venue was suitable | 48% | 46% | 6% | |
I would like to attend the Forum again in the future | 60% | 40% | ||
The Forum is a key opportunity for me to learn more about the Exe Estuary, get involved and have my views heard | 54% | 46% | ||
I value the work of the Exe Estuary Partnership | 70% | 30% |
View Presentations
To view the powerpoint presentation for each speaker please select them from the agenda below:
Agenda
6.30 Arrival, refreshments available. Information panels on display and an opportunity to see footage from new Educational Film; Think Deep! Created by EDDC
7.00 Introduction: Neil Downes, Forum Chair
7.10 Marine and Coastal Act, How it May Affect You: Jim Masters, Devon Maritime Forum
7.20 Finding Sanctuary and the need to add your knowledge: Beth Henshall, Finding Sanctuary
7.30 Questions to Jim and Beth
7.40 Exe Strategy: Steve Rendell
7.50 Questions to Graeme and EA representative
8.00 Disturbance Study: Durwyn Liley, Footprint Ecology
8.10 Workshops
8.45 Reconvene
Soapbox sessions
8.50 Progress of Turbine trial on the Exe, Adrian Janssen
8.55 The role of Fisheries on the Exe - Devon Sea Fisheries
9.00 Case study: Exmouth Mussels
9.05 Monitoring the Exe’s fish
9.10 Questions to soapbox presenters
9.30 Close
Autumn Forum 2008
The Autumn Forum was held on Wednesday 22nd October in the Council Chamber at County Hall. The evening focused on the issue of climate change and what the predictions are for the Exe Estuary.
Climate Change is the biggest threat to our natural environment today and the Exe Estuary is no exception. With an increasing sea level and a warmer and wetter climate we can expect to see substantial changes taking place both in terms of the estuary’s form, the wildlife that it supports and how it is managed.
The Exe Estuary Forum examined the anticipated consequences of climate change that we can expect to see in future years. A series of experts provided presentations on what climate change actually means to the estuary from predicted sea level rises to wildlife adaptation as well as an overview of the studies that are taking place now in order to attempt to prepare for the future.
After the presentations, delegates were asked to split into four different workshops to examine issues relevant to the estuary.
Two of the workshops focused on the themes of the presentations, inducing discussions on how changes can be planned for and what local communities can do to prepare for inevitable change.
The other two workshops examined the interpretation of the Exe Estuary in an attempt to begin to collect ideas on how the history and wildlife of the Exe can be better interpreted in order to raise awareness of this fantastic site. Building on the success of the Exe Activities leaflet, which was created by an Exe Action group of local representatives earlier this year, we wish to examine how best to interpret other key features of the Exe. To read more about these exciting projects and find out how you can get involved please view our Exe Action group page.
The following presentations were given
- Climate Change; an Overview by Midge Kelly, Devon County Council
- The Impacts of Climate Change on the Exe by Martin Davies, Environment Agency
- Impacts on Wildlife and the Lower Clyst Project by Gavin Bloomfield, RSPB
- Coastal Management Study: Graeme Smith by Teignbridge District Council
The powerpoint presentation delivered can be viewed by clicking on the title of the presentation that you wish to see. A report of the evening is also available to download.
Spring Forum 2008
The Spring Forum was held on Saturday 7th June at Lympstone Marine Barracks.
The event saw presentations from:
- The Exe Estuary Officer who gave an update of the partnership's work over the last year.
- Mike Baker of East Devon District Council who updated the Forum on the progress of the Coastal Management Study and gave details of the consultation process that will happen later this year.
- Jack Nott, River and Canal Manager for Exeter City Council who notified the forum of changes to navigation in the estuary as well as an overview of Exeter's use of marker buoys in the Exe.
The afternoon workshops gave the Forum an opportunity to discuss specific issues with relevant officers in small groups. The topics for the workshops were suggested by the attendees on application of their ticket. The workshops were:
- Future project ideas for the partnership, led by Exe Estuary Officer, Jenny Lockett.
- Wildlife in the Exe led by Natural England's Marine Officer, Mel Parker
- Other changes that could be made to improve navigation, led by Jack Nott
- Sustainable energy possibilities for the Exe
A full report of the event is available to download: Exe Estuary Spring Forum Report