Allan Water restoration project wins major Scottish award

August 1, 2024

tags: Allan Water, Awards, Charlotte Neary, Climate Change, MERLIN, Nature Based Solutions, Restoration, River, Scotland, Small Streams

by freshwaterblog

*The Forth Rivers Trust team with their Climate Impact award.* *Image: Forth Rivers Trust*

The Forth Rivers Trust has won the Climate Impact award at the recent Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCOV) Scottish Charity Awards 2024 for their work in restoring the Allan Water in Central Scotland.

The Trust, supported by the MERLIN project and other funders, has been working with land managers and communities for the past eight years to restore degraded habitats along the Allan Water.

The Trust have implemented a range of nature-based solutions to help build resilience to ongoing climate changes along the catchment. These include measures to slow water flows to help buffer flooding, riparian tree planting to help keep the river cool under increasing air temperatures, restoring degraded peatland to lock in carbon, and creating new wetlands to help boost wading bird populations.

*Nature-based solutions are being used along the Allan Water to help build resilience to climate change. Image: Forth Rivers Trust*

“This award is testament to the collective efforts and hard work of our staff, land managers, partners, contractors and steering group It underscores our shared commitment to delivering a resilient catchment for future generations,” said Charlotte Neary from the Forth Rivers Trust.

“The project wouldn’t be possible without the support of our funders, including The Scottish Government, European Union via the MERLIN Project, Nature Scot Nature Restoration Fund and Network Rail,” Neary continued.

*Charlotte Neary (right) and the Forth Rivers Trust Team.* *Image: Forth Rivers Trust*

“Recognition of the project through winning this award has given us even more momentum to carry on developing and delivering work on the Allan Water in the future. We extend our heartfelt thanks to each and every one who has been a part of this journey, supporting the project in various ways. Your contributions have been instrumental in its success,” Neary said.

You can find out more about the Allan Water restoration project through the MERLIN factsheets, and on our most recent podcast, which features an interview with Charlotte Neary.

///

This article is supported by the MERLIN project.