River Dee project makes Nature of Scotland Awards shortlist

The team at the River Dee have been shortlisted in the Coast and Waters Award & Nature and Climate Action Award categories in the prestigious RSPB Nature of Scotland Awards 2022.

The Glen Muick River & Wetlands Restoration project has been shortlisted at the RSPB Nature of Scotland Awards 2022.

Over the last four years this ambitious, landscape scale partnership project is restoring an entire sub-catchment, the River Muick, an important tributary of the River Dee Special Area of Conservation designated for Atlantic salmon, freshwater pearl mussel and otter.

Many who love to walk in the area and visit Lock Muick will be familiar with the landscape of this popular place in the Cairngorms National Park, but the sheer scale of the project and how much work has been done is not widely known to many members of the public.

Successful partnership working between the Dee District Salmon Fishery Board, Balmoral Estate and Glenmuick Estate, as well as the River Dee Trust and Woodland Trust Scotland, has brought together restoration measures on a scale not done before.

This includes habitat for spawning and juvenile fish has been created by the installation of 70 large wood structures, each comprising several logs with root plates; a 350m section of blocked channel was reconnected by removing a 150 year old man-made embankment; wetlands have been created and enhanced by installing 78 leaky dams and 112 debris dams on minor burns, blocking drains, and creating 16 new wader scrapes; 7000 metres of banks have been protected by new fencing to exclude livestock and remove instream waterings to mitigate diffuse pollution; and, nearly 140,000 have been planted along the banks of the Muick to provide cooling shade and nutrients to the water.

Dr Lorraine Hawkins, River director said: “We are thrilled that our Glen Muick River & Wetlands Restoration project has been short listed for these awards. Our project will help safeguard the river, floodplain and the wildlife that depend on it, with the iconic Atlantic salmon the keystone bringing many people and organisations together to work in partnership to mitigate climate change.”

The winners will be announced next month.

Find out how you help plant #OneMillionTrees by 2025 at riverdee.org.uk/learn-about-the-dee