New plan for the Duchray water catchment will map the best places to slow the flow, building on years of local effort and working with the community to shape future action on the ground.
Strathard could soon lead the way in Scotland on using nature to tackle flooding. Forth Rivers Trust, as a partner in the Resilient Landscapes, Upper Forth Partnership (RLUFP), has announced a new long-term project on the Duchray Water, upstream of Aberfoyle, that will implement nature-based solutions across the catchment to help tackle the flood risk in the landscape.
The ambition is for the Duchray to become one of Scotland’s leading examples of prioritised, catchment-wide nature-based solutions, learning from Tweed Forum’s influential work on the Eddleston Water, which has shown how effective natural flood management can be at scale.
The first crucial step is now under way with Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority awarding funding of £49,000 to develop a Nature-Based Solutions Prioritisation Plan for the Duchray Water catchment.
What the plan will do
The plan will look at the whole Duchray catchment to explore where and what type of nature-based solutions will make the biggest difference. JBA Consulting, one of the UK’s leading flood risk and water management consultancies, will carry out the hydrological modelling and nature-based solution appraisal, helping to identify and prioritise the most promising locations.
Nature-based solutions work alongside other flood defences to tackle catchment problems such as flooding, drought, erosion and poor water quality. Wetlands, ponds, river woodlands, leaky dams, hedgerows and healthy soils slow water down and act like a sponge in heavy rain, then release it slowly in dry spells. They also create better habitats for wildlife, cleaner water and more carbon stored in the landscape.
However, they are not one-size-fits-all. Leaky dams or new wetlands in the right place can help to hold back large volumes of water during a storm, but the same measures in the wrong place may do little to slow the flow downstream. JBA’s tried and tested robust modelling and prioritisation will make sure that time, money and interventions are focused where they will make the greatest difference for Strathard.
Forth Rivers Trust will lead the project and will work directly with land managers to ensure any nature-based solutions are integrated with existing land uses, and plans for the future. RLUFP’s new partner Strathard Community Trust will lead engagement with the local community, making sure the people who live and work in Strathard help shape the results. By bringing technical expertise and local knowledge together, the partners aim to create a practical plan that points the way to successful nature-based solutions on the ground.
Background to the project
For the last year, thanks to funding from Forth2O’s Policy Innovation Partnership, the RLUFP has gathered evidence and conducted data-led opportunity mapping on how to increase the resilience of the Upper Forth landscape to challenges such as flooding. Together with a year of conversations with farmers, land managers, communities and stakeholders, this work made one thing clear: the villages of Strathard are among the most at risk from flooding in the Upper Forth, and the Duchray Water is a main contributor.
Flooding damages homes and local property, and high flood risk has held back new homes and development through planning refusals. Businesses in flood-prone areas can also face high insurance costs. Together, these pressures are affecting livelihoods and carry a real economic cost for the villages.
Building on local effort
The plan will build on previous work in the catchment, including hydrological studies for hard engineering options, funded natural flood management pilot studies, and valuable reports and insights from the Strathard Flood Group. RLUFP is also engaging with local community across the whole Upper Forth to establish a Local Community Flood Action Group – which will be integral to deliver the actions of the plan in the coming years.
Amelia Heath at Forth Rivers Trust, said:
“This new funding from Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park is key to unlocking long-term funding for nature-based solutions across the Upper Forth, starting with the Duchray. Once we know which nature-based solutions will work best, and where, the work on the ground can begin, and we hope to see the first projects taking shape as early as 2027.
This project builds on a fantastic year of work funded by Forth2O. We are really grateful for the Forth2O team’s continued support, and to everyone who has helped shape this new project for the Duchray Water.”
Gillian Kynoch at Strathard Community Trust, said:
“We are very glad to play our part in this constructive and practical approach, helping to tackle the very real problem of flooding in our area. Importantly the community will be able to get involved and help create practical solutions that will work in the landscape for years to come.”
For more information –
Contact Rachel Smillie at Forth Rivers Trust – r.smillie@forthriverstrust.org