Plans approved to combat climate change at Loch Katrine

The approval of the 10-year Land Management Plan (LMP) for Scottish Water’s Loch Katrine estate means the project has taken a major step forward, with plans now in action to create a huge 4,600-hectare woodland area equivalent to the size of more than 6440 football pitches.

Bosses say this will be done largely through re-wilding efforts and natural generation.

The scheme, which is being carried out in partnership between Scottish Water and Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) estimates that it will see a 40 per cent increase in the status of biodiversity across the site, capturing up to a million tonnes of carbon over the next 60 years.

Ben Venue and Loch Katrine seen from Ben A’an in the Trossachs Plans also include the restoration and maintenance of several hundred hectares of peatland across the Loch Katrine area. The hope is that restoring natural woodland and encouraging healthy, functioning peatland and moorland will make the landscape more resilient to climate change, helping to stabilise soils, hold more water and slow the runoff from the land.

Dr Mark Williams, Scottish Water’s Head of Sustainability and Climate Change, said: “Loch Katrine is a hugely significant site in terms of Scotland’s natural environment, as well as being the basis of an essential service for around a quarter of Scotland’s population.

“It has nationally important peatland, moorland, and woodland habitats, which offer many recreational opportunities for visitors and residents alike, but which are also vitally important in our work to mitigate the impact of the climate crisis.

“The energy needed to provide essential water and wastewater services makes Scottish Water one of the largest single users of electricity in the country, and whilst we are working hard to eliminate emissions across the entirety of our assets, we must also ensure that the woodland, peatland and natural habitats across our landholdings are thriving, able to lock up carbon and support our journey to net zero emissions.”

Loch Katrine - an 8-mile-long stretch of freshwater - supplies water to 1.3 million people in the Greater Glasgow area and other parts of the Central Belt through infrastructure built largely by Victorian pioneers.

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It is surrounded by 9,500 hectares of land which is occupied and managed by FLS and located in the heart of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.

Climate change has caused issues around the area with more extreme rainfall in recent years pushing organic matter into the loch and on to the water treatment works.

By restoring the land around Loch Katrine, bosses hope it will curb the effects of climate change making the area more resilient to extreme weather and ensure water can ‘continue to be treated to the high standards customers expect’.

Dr Williams added “By taking a whole-catchment approach, this 10-year plan sets out a long-term vision that will help secure the resilience and quality of Loch Katrine as a vital water supply into the 22nd Century while also supporting nature, tourism, and the rural economy.”

Woodland creating in the area will now look at encouraging he native woodland, which currently exist at lower levels in the catchment, expand to sites at a higher elevation -linking woodland from the shores of the loch to woodland in the nearby hills.

Work will also focus on restoring peatland across the site, rewetting, reprofiling and encouraging sphagnum moss to proliferate ensuring it can once again start to retain water and slow surface water run-off into the loch, as well as acting as a carbon sink.

The project will see a variety of habitats of healthy peatland, moorland and woodland which will benefit the diversity of wildlife in the area - including badgers, bats, a variety of birds, and particularly rare species, such as the Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterfly.        

Simon Jones, Director of Environment and Visitor Services at Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority said: “This signals another big step towards the National Park Authority’s goal to reverse the decline in nature by 2030 and see widespread restoration of nature by 2040.

The water, peatland and woodland within the Park are undoubtedly our greatest allies in tackling the twin crises of nature loss and the climate emergency.

“As well as our wildlife, the wider natural environment helps to deliver many essential aspects of our lives, from the nutritional value and availability of our food, and the health benefits of good air quality, to the livelihoods of those connected to it. It’s only through partnership working like this, we will achieve the scale of change required to ensure a sustainable future for the National Park.”        

Cameron Maxwell, Perth & Argyll Conservator with Scottish Forestry, added: “We were delighted to approve this ambitious new native woodland creation proposal on the land around Loch Katrine, continuing the expansion of the Great Trossachs Forest National Nature Reserve.”