River Condition Assessment Training

Our River Condition Assessment (RCA) accredited training covers the field and desk study methods required to generate the River Condition outputs for Natural England’s Biodiversity Metric calculations.

The 6-week online RCA training course is delivered via a structured learning programme that combines short videos, field survey and desk study practical sessions, assessments, trainer-led interactive group conferences and one to one sessions. The online programme replicates the original 2-day in-person training, with increased flexibility for practical assignments.

Training includes access to a private workspace and the RCA online tools on Cartographer. Each course is limited to a maximum of 10 places and are run subject to demand (Terms & Conditions are linked below).

Fees for individuals to attend one of our regular online courses for up to 10 delegates are £500 + VAT *

We also offer bespoke group bookings for up to 10 delegates for a reduced rate of £4,000 + VAT *

* Following a recent review of our costs in 2021/22 and in order to maintain a high quality of training quality and support services, please be advised that our RCA training fees have increased, with effect for all courses starting in October 2022.

Bookings

We run regular monthly online training courses aimed at individuals and small teams. You can enquire about forthcoming training course dates and availability on individuals’ courses by clicking on the link below:

We also offer private courses on demand for up to 10 attendees at a time. Get in touch if you’d like us to run a bespoke course for your team:

Alternatively, join our Newsletter to hear about updates to MoRPh and new courses as soon as they’re announced:

Please note – RCA training does not cover the whole Rivers and Streams Metric for Biodiversity Net Gain assessments. Please visit CIEEM events for information about their Introduction to the Rivers and Streams Metric for Biodiversity Net Gain.

Schedule for the 6-week Online River Condition Assessment Course

The time commitment for the self-led and interactive learning elements of the online course is equivalent to the 2-day ‘in person’ course. Please note that additional time to cover the essential field survey practical elements may need to be factored into the online training schedule, depending upon individual locations and other factors. For more information about the online course timings please get in touch.

Weeks 1 & 2

• Biodiversity Net Gain & River Condition Assessment Overview
• Introduction to the River Condition Assessment
• Component 1 – The MoRPh field survey

Weeks 3 & 4

• Field trial and test of the MoRPh Survey
• Uploading and downloading field survey data
• Component 2 – The River Type desk study

Weeks 5 & 6

• Component 3 – Final Condition Scores
• Baseline and post-intervention application
• 2 x 2 hr online group conference sessions
• 2 x 20 min individual 121 sessions

Terms and Conditions

Modular River Survey training courses, including the River Condition Assessment course, are run by Cartographer Studios under their Training Terms.