River restoration project in Angus glen reaches completion
A £1.4m project to restore the River South Esk in Glen Clova has now been completed, with a number of outcomes delivered for habitat improvement.
And while skies, on average, have been fairer recently, a great deal of the work took place during, and despite, the wettest start to a year in Angus on record.
While many people sought refuge indoors, the River South Esk Catchment Partnership were implementing the final physical interventions of their Nature Restoration Funded environmental vision.
The project has now delivered:-
- Re-meandering 244m of the March Burn in the upper River South Esk catchment at Glen Clova.
- Creation of new wetland habitat systems across 25 hectares and three sites.
- 8.7 hectares of riparian woodland along 17.5km of upland watercourse.
- Creation of 6.5 hectares of native treeline woodland.
- 155 hectares of native woodland via natural regeneration.
- Semi-natural grass and heathland habitat restoration.
Roger Owen, RSECP chairperson, said: “Our rivers are enormously important ecological systems which have often been degraded by the pressures we have placed on them in the past, so the South Esk Catchment Partnership places a big priority on restoring this iconic river.
“Our restoration activities will over time restore nature, slow the flow of water downstream, reduce the pressure on salmon, ensure clean water and provide a wonderful amenity for communities.
“I applaud the sheer persistence of all those hardy souls who completed the restoration in such dreadful weather.
“I am very proud of the way in which our partnership of landowners, farmers, community interests, the local authority, agencies and non-governmental organisations continue to work together.”
RSECP’s overall plan restores the river and its habitats in numerous ways, through riverside tree planting, wetland creation and protecting the hill and mountain environments to nature’s benefit. It will also strengthen resilience to environmental challenges set by the changing climate.
Financial backing of more than £1.4m came from from the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, managed by NatureScot.
Core partners and landowners are working together to deliver the RSECP’s largest project to date, of which wetland creation on a scale never seen before in Angus forms a key element.
Those involved are Forestry and Land Scotland, Esk Rivers and Fisheries Trust, RSPB Scotland, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Angus Council; and local landowners Rottal Estate and Clova Estates.
In addition, cbec eco engineering and wetlands specialist 35% were employed at the design and construction supervision phases, while McGowan Environmental Ltd and JML Contracts Ltd carried out on-site construction.
Dee Ward, owner of Rottal Estate said: “We are already seeing results in terms of water being held on the ground and increased wader numbers and breeding success. The incessant rain in January and February meant we couldn’t fully complete the final part of the project, but we hope to get funding to come back to this at a later stage.”