Working with tenant hill farmers and others, to develop ideas for restoring native riparian woodland
Hill farming in the uplands of Glenlivet is tough. Some families have been working these tenanted farms for generations and whilst the climate may be changing, conditions remain harsh here, with a shorter growing season and little good pasture compared with just a few miles downstream.
Most farms have little good in-bye land – riparian areas up the burns are often the only green grazing. It’s not surprising then that riparian woodland has been largely lost, often centuries ago, through grazing by sheep and deer. But as the climate warms and important aquatic habitats and species become increasingly pressured here, action in Glenlivet has become a strategic priority for us.
What are we doing
Since 2023, Spey Catchment Initiative has been working steadily to:
- See what ideas for riparian woodland might work for a number of farmers with different land, challenges and opportunities. Talk, listen, come up with ideas, listen, rework ideas and repeat…
- Work with the landlord – Crown Estate Scotland – to see how together, we might develop new ideas to support tenant farms in native woodland restoration, without impacting negatively on the viability of farming businesses.
- Worked with stakeholders and partners like RSPB to find balance and resolve potential conflicts
- Carried out site investigations, including peat and bird surveys
- Talked to and investigated options with a wide range of potential funding partners.
- Designed and progressed some schemes through approvals
- Planted some small areas
- And the work goes on!
Why it matters
The River Livet and its tributaries are critical river for Atlantic salmon, sea trout and all of the ecology that accompanies these key species. But loss of riparian woodland has meant dangerously climbing temperatures and loss of good habitat for all that lives in and around the water. Some areas of the upper Livet lack any trees for miles around.
Learn more about the benefits of riparian woodland
Keeping at it
There are clear reasons why the landscape here has lost its riparian woodland and why it’s not going to come back without help. Farming here is incredibly tough business and if our ideas don’t make sense to the farm, they’re the wrong ideas. Small family farms have a lot going on and riparian woodland is quite understandably not at the top of their lists but they do want to farm well and balance their objectives.
Building trust, being helpful and having the patience and the time to come back again, with reworked ideas is going to be key to progress. We’re here because it’s worth it.
Partners and support
Spey Catchment Initiative is very grateful for help from our partners here:
• The tenant farmers
• Crown Estate Scotland and their agents: Strutt and Parker.
• Chivas Brothers’ The River Within programme has helped to fund our development work up here, including staff time and survey work.
• RSPB have advice particularly for wader conservation
• Scottish Forestry
• Naturescot
• A number of local community contacts
If you’ve an interest in this work, want to learn more or get involved, please get in touch with us.
