Twist of fate: project to revive riverside nature
● Unique project will benefit river wildlife and boost salmon breeding
An ar tificially straightened tributary of the River Dee will once again become a meandering haven for wildlife as a pioneering restoration project kicks off in Aberdeenshire.
Beltie Burn, near Torphins, was f i r s t e n g i n e e r e d i n t h e mid-18th century for agricultural improvements and later to make way for the Deeside Railway line.
Today the waterway is much wider, deeper and straighter than its natural course, which twisted and turned across the Deeside landscape.
The Easter B eltie Restoration Project, the only one of its kind in the North-east of Scotland, will create a 2km stretch of river corridor and ten hectares of floodplain rich in habitats where wildlife can thrive.
It’s hoped the work, which includes planting native trees along the river banks, will help
boost declining wild salmon populations.
The initiative, managed by the Dee Catchment Partnership and with strong support from the landowner, is a collaboration that brings togeth
e r t h e De e Di s t r i c t S a l mon Fishery Board, River Dee Trust and James Hutton Institute.
P a r t n e r s h i p m a n a g e r D r Susan Co oksley, who heads up the project, said: “Originally a twisting channel flowing
through low-lying wetlands, the Beltie Burn’s middle reaches near the old Deeside line have b een heavily straightened, embanked, widened and deepened.
“T h i s h a s d e g r a d e d h a b i - tats for fish, plants and invertebrates – the current channel contains far too much silt and sand, offering no salmon spawning habitat.
“The deepening means that the burn i s c o mpl e te l y d i sconnected from its floodplain, reducing available wetland h a b i t a t a n d t h e c a p a c i t y o f the whole area to store floodwaters.”
At the heart of the site will be an unconstrained meandering channel, enriched by native tree planting, with woodland and open wet ground in the connected floodplain.
Edwin Third, river op era - tions manager for the Dee District Salmon Fisher y B oard, added: “By restoring this break in the continuit y of the river system the whole catchment will benefit.
“These wetland habitats typically create around 150 times more food for fish and other a n i ma l s t h a n s t r a i g h t e n e d channels can provide.
“So we really hope to see the r e t u r n o f s p awni n g f i s h , a s part of a thriving natural ecosystem.”
Work on the project, which h a s g o v e r n m e n t b a c k i n g from Naturescot’s Biodiversity Challenge Fund, Aberdeenshire Council, S cottish Forestr y and the S cottish Environment Protection Agency, is set to begin this month.