A PROJECT aimed at planning a more sustainable future for the people that live and work in the River Tamar catchment has made it to the finals of a prestigious environmental award.

Over the past year, environmental charity the Westcountry Rivers Trust, has been working with local organisations, businesses and landowners to create a shared vision for how a more environmentally and economically sustainable landscape can be delivered and funded in the future.

Dr Dylan Bright, director of the Stoke Climsland-based Westcountry Rivers Trust, said: 'At the moment, we, as members of society, mostly have a narrow set of aspirations as to what we want from the environment.

'These aspirations are usually associated with our job or our hobbies and we often strive to see them delivered at the expense of the aspirations of others.

'This project has sought to integrate disparate planning activities to create a fully integrated map of where in the landscape we should be doing what to achieve the greatest overall benefit for everyone, whether it's protecting and securing water resources or providing recreational spaces for people to enjoy.

'The project has done this by bringing together the owners of the resources, with those who benefit from their protection.

'This means that the plan is sanctioned by those who would ultimately deliver and pay for it.

'This is sustainable development in action and I do not know of a more forward looking and holistic approach anywhere else in the world; this is not an idle comment, over the past six years, we have been working with a network of academics under the research councils Rural and Economic Land Use Programme to look for examples of this approach across the globe.'

The project has caught the attention of judges at the Waterways Renaissance Awards, who have selected it as a finalist in their annual awards ceremony. Protecting and improving rivers can only happen successfully by considering what is happening on the land within the catchment that they drain.

Helen Carey, chair of the assessment panel for the Waterways Renaissance Awards, said: 'It is truly inspiring to see how people and organisations across the country are working together to protect, improve and care for our canals and rivers.

'All projects reaching the finalist stage should be justifiably proud of all that they have achieved.'

The Westcountry Rivers Trust has created a short film about creating a more sustainable landscape, which is available to watch via their website http://www.wrt.org.uk">www.wrt.org.uk