Climate resilient catchments

Historically these rivers have had a long history of human interference, from being artificially straightened, to floodplains being drained and disconnected. Changes in land use and increased water extraction for industry, houses and farming have put pressure on our rivers. This has resulted in a loss of habitats for important and declining species like the Atlantic salmon and freshwater pearl mussel, decreased water quality and decreased resilience to unpredictable weather.

This project is helping rivers return to their natural processes, and improving river and floodplain connectivity to ensure more water can be stored in flood and drought, vital in a changing climate and as we experience increasingly unpredictable weather.

• Aerial view of the River Dee Rupert Shanks

  

  
• Nature Based Solutions Officer, Moya, monitoring the River Dee Rupert Shanks

  

  

The techniques we’re using vary across the Cairngorms, depending on the landscape that we’re working with. In some locations we’re removing the riverbank engineering, allowing the river to change shape and course more naturally, and in others we’re installing large wood structures in the river to kick start the formation of high-quality habitats.

The three project sites included as part of this project are

• The Upper Dee river and floodplain restoration project, located in the Dee catchment just upstream of Braemar.
• The Slugain Burn restoration project, located on a tributary of the river Dulnain, part of Spey catchment, near Carrbridge.
• A project under development and to be announced shortly.

These rivers are incredibly important to local communities, providing a supply of freshwater, fertile floodplains, opportunities for industry and recreation and important habitats for a range of species, which makes preserving and restoring them vitally important.