The River Ericht Catchment Regeneration Initiative
Investment project code: 7
The River Ericht, one of the most important spawning grounds for Atlantic Salmon in Europe, is in crisis. Extreme weather caused by climate change, historic and current land management practices and invasive species, are damaging the quantity and quality of water in the river and the health of its vegetation, woodlands and wildlife. As a result Salmon numbers are in steep decline and in danger of disappearing altogether.
Our new River Ericht Catchment Regeneration Initiative has been set up in response to this crisis. With a founding group of local angling, environmental and community-led organisations, we want to take a catchment scale approach to reviving this important river system. We will seek to engage landowners, farmers, businesses, communities, educational institutions, and relevant statutory bodies in restoring biodiversity, sinking carbon and enabling the sustainable livelihoods that depend on the Salmon and the river to thrive now and in the future.
Location: The River Ericht Catchment extends in the north from Glenshee down to the River Isla in the south, from Strathardle in the west to Glenisla in the east.
Proposed on behalf of: This proposal comes from Bioregioning Tayside, the Cateran Ecomuseum, the Tay Ghilles Association, the Blairgowrie & Rattray District Angling Association and the Blairgowrie & Rattray Development Trust Biodiversity Blair initiative.
Documents (1)
-
Download file
The River Ericht Catchment Regeneration Initiative
PDF | 200 KB
would be interested to hear how school aged children will be involved in the project to improve their understanding of such an important topic and effect on climate change biodiversity has. Excellent initiate long overdue
Hello Tom! Thanks for you question. Resources permitting, there will be lots of opportunity for primary and secondary school children and young people to get involved, from site visits and learning journeys to bioblitz's and 'restoration' days to participatory science opportunities and projects that we can co-design with the schools, which, for example, offer opportunities to undertake water analysis using eDNA kits (which are very easy to use), involving them in tracking wildlife through camera traps and acoustic sensors, tree surveying and planting to helping source jobs and environment-related career paths for school leavers. Maybe a school 'Environment Restoration Prize'!
Im very happy this is happening. It is vital to the area.
some excellent opportunities in this catchment
This is an excellent initiative and will be welcomed by everyone who loves this beautiful area. So much to learn about the catchment area and to engage the wider community.
This project is essential for collecting up-to-date knowledge and mapping what is happening to the River Ericht and its catchment area
This excellent initiative has the full support of Mount Blair Community Development Trust who represent the communities along the River Ardle, Glenshee and the Ericht at Bridge of Cally. One of the outcomes of our recent Community Action Plan was to identify projects which support the protection or enhancement of natural wildlife habitats and ecosystems, and the Trust would therefore look forward to working in partnership with these proposals, particularly with regard to better stewardship of land and river systems.
This is a wonderful idea, and long overdue; the entire community should prize the beautiful asset that is the Ericht (it was walking along the river that persuaded my partner and I to settle here). It's a uniquely biodiverse (and fragile) area: not only the salmon, but invertebrates like stoneflies, birds like dippers, and a rich community of flora, bryophytes, and fungi, some of which are both locally and nationally rare.
This type of citizen science activity is essential for our future, for the future of these non-human systems, and for our understanding of the changes we are creating. Cannot endorse this strongly enough!
As a former fluvial geomorphologist the regeneration and naturalisation of river systems is so important to managing flooding and creating the varied habitats required for struggling species to flourish. This is a fantastic project and a great first step to regenerating the Ericht catchment.