On a sunny day in August, we brought together a diverse group of ten people—community members, farm advisors, local business, environmental NGOs, council representatives, and local historians—to take the first steps in shaping a shared vision for the regeneration of the Leven Catchment. The workshop was an opportunity to gather and share different perspectives on the future of the catchment, while also understanding key actions to guide us towards those visions.
This workshop is one of many steps we’re taking to explore how, and to what extent, we can engage communities beyond farmers and land managers in LENs, as well as complement LENs with other initiatives in the catchment to foster health, resilience and productivity.
Clara giving an overview of the project and agenda
But before diving deeper into the workshop, let’s take a moment to look at what we mean by “vision” and “roadmap.” Why are we bringing people together, and what exactly are we trying to do?
It all began when the three of us working on the Leven LENs project—Amelia, Rachel, and Clara – sat down to discuss the benefits we hoped to contribute with through Leven LENs and how we could collaborate with others to achieve them. We considered not only what we could achieve through LENs, but also how other initiatives could complement it.
We are doing this as part of our work with LENs, because, with the support of LENs Company, Leven LENs is one of the first LENs project to explore how communities beyond farmers and land managers can be involved. We have been connecting with community groups, exploring models for integrating community involvement, and spreading awareness about LENs locally.
To understand how we could do that, we turned to a process known as a Theory of Change, or as we prefer to call it—a roadmap.
What is a Theory of Change?
A Theory of Change is a way to describe and illustrate the desired changes in a specific context and explore how those changes can come about. It starts by identifying long-term goals and work backwards, outlining the steps and actions needed to achieve them. Essentially, it helps to not build a bridge when what we really need is a boat to cross the sea.
Because collaboration is central to deliver benefits for catchment in the long term, we knew it was important to involve more than just the three of us in the process. We wanted to gather a wide range of perspectives to develop a shared vision and a roadmap for how to achieve it.
The result? After three internal workshops, one stakeholder workshop, and several other avenues for gathering input, we now have a roadmap. This roadmap will continue to be a work in progress, as we learn and gather new insights.
The Roadmap
The roadmap for Forth Rivers Trust work to support a thriving Leven catchment – both through LENs and beyond
Our roadmap outlines how we believe Forth Rivers Trust can contribute to the long-term vision of a thriving Leven catchment, working collaboratively and within the capacities of our organization. This includes our work with Leven LENs, but also other projects in the pipeline (stay tuned for more).
To achieve the long-term goal of a thriving Leven catchment, our focus is on:
- 🌱 Supporting local stewardship of the catchment.
- 🏞 Fostering healthy, functioning ecosystems.
- 💧 Reducing environmental pressures on the catchment.
- 🌿 Connecting habitats.
- 💼 Securing sustainable finance for long-term regeneration.
We aim to do this by working with farmers, land managers, local community groups, and public and private organizations to:
- 🤝 Build connections and collaboration.
- 📚 Promote knowledge and skill-sharing.
- 💰 Funnel finance and funding into the catchment.
Believe it or not, this is a simplified version of a much more complex, and confusing map of how we think, we can go about doing that.
The Workshop
Back at the workshop, with hot drinks and delicious cake from Heaven Scent café in Milnathort, we divided into two groups and asked participants to imagine: “What will the catchment, its nature, farming, and people be like in 10 years, in an ideal world?” From this prompt, several visions emerged, many of which you can explore below.
Workshop Participants’ Long-Term Visions for a Thriving Leven Catchment
Each group then selected one or two visions and brainstormed the necessary actions to bring them to life. The exchange of ideas was inspiring, and it was encouraging to see so many overlaps and synergies among participants.
After two productive hours, we had a lovely lunch and enjoyed the beautiful sun on the terrasse of the Kinross Rugby Club where the workshop took place. The beautiful weather was a reminder of the farmers’ busy harvest season, which explained why none of the farmers invited had been able to come. Their absence, along with other last-minute cancellations, showed that our small group of ten participants was far from representative of the entire catchment community. That’s why we will continue to gather inputs—through more workshops, talks, and conversations.
Share Your Thoughts
If you live or work in the catchment and would like to share your visions for a thriving Leven Catchment with us, we’d love to hear from you! Send us an email at levenlens@forthriverstrust.org.
As our work progresses, and as we gather more input from the catchment’s diverse communities, we will revisit and update the roadmap regularly.
Resources
Curious about the Theory of Change and how to apply it to your own projects? Check out these helpful resources:
- Commonland 4Return Guidebook: Provides advice on how to use theory of change in a landscape regeneration process
- PRISM – Toolkit For Evaluating The Outcomes And Impacts of Small/Medium-Sized Conservation Projects: Provides a comprehensive overview of what a Theory of Change is and how to use it in the context of evaluating and measuring impact
- The Community Builder’s Approach to Theory of Change: Provides usefool tools & tips for how to undertake a collaborative theory of change that involves communities and other stakeholders
