Established in 2003, the Dee Catchment Partnership is a group of organisations with a shared commitment to looking after the Dee catchment. From restoration projects to education and outreach, the group facilitates collaborative conservation efforts across the catchment. The £220,000 Easter Beltie restoration of Autumn 2020 was one such project. The 13-week process transformed the middle reaches of a degraded agricultural stream into a rich complex of wetland habitats in the river Dee catchment, bringing multiple benefits for biodiversity, water quality, climate resilience and recreation. The site is being used to evaluate and demonstrate river valley restoration techniques.
A tributary of the river Dee, the Easter Beltie burn was straightened about 250 years ago to make way for new ways of farming and the Deeside railway. These changes came at a cost – wildlife in the straightened sections all but dwindled, and the fire-hose effect of straightening what was once a meandering channel caused flooding problems downstream during times of heavy rain. This unique restoration project re-routed the straightened section of a tributary of the river Dee, creating an unconstrained, meandering channel running through a new wetland complex. The work has delivered many benefits for biodiversity, water quality and climate resilience. ● A new 2 km meandering watercourse flowing through 3 large wetlands covering 5 ha, with 6 islands of varied size ● Natural bank and bed profiles and full connection with a newly created 10 ha floodplain ● 5 instream wood structures ● 100 m of Atlantic salmon spawning habitat ● Riparian areas and wetland fringes to be planted with native trees ● Restored connections with the river system up and downstream ● Backwater habitats in the old channel ● 5 ha of ephemeral wetlands enhanced by wader scrapes ● Opportunities for community access through integration with a new cycle path project ● A long-term research project to evaluate the ecological benefits.