Nominee Summary
The River Dee Trust’s One Million Trees campaign is one of Scotland’s most ambitious freshwater restoration initiatives, aiming to plant one million native trees by 2035 to protect the River Dee catchment from climate change. Restoring riverside woodland, creating cooler, healthier habitats for the critically endangered Atlantic salmon, freshwater pearl mussels and other wildlife, while enhancing biodiversity across the iconic catchment. The campaign’s success depends on public support and strong collaboration. By inspiring collective action, overcoming scepticism and building momentum for lasting change, it is enabling landscape-scale tree planting in one of Scotland’s most sensitive landscapes: the Cairngorms National Park.
What was the motivation?
The River Dee Trust launched the One Million Trees campaign in response to one of the greatest threats facing Scotland’s freshwater ecosystems: climate change. Modelling by Marine Scotland Science identified over 300 kilometres of the Dee’s tributaries as vulnerable to dangerously high water temperatures, recent recordings of 21°C as early as May showing the immediate local impact. Rising temperatures place species such as Atlantic salmon under severe pressure. Juvenile salmon stop feeding and become vulnerable to stress and disease when water exceeds 23°C, and at 33°C they die. This puts salmon and freshwater pearl mussels, at increasing risk, particularly in upper catchments where little cooling tree cover exists. Over the last decade, the Dee has faced severe floods, damaging droughts and extreme water temperatures, while centuries of land use practices have increased the catchment’s vulnerability. Recognising that healthy rivers depend on healthy riparian habitats, the Trust, working with the Dee District Salmon Fishery Board, set an ambitious goal to plant one million native trees by 2035. These trees act as nature’s parasols, providing shade, reducing climate impacts and enriching biodiversity across the catchment. The campaign aims to influence wider conservation practice. The Trust has pioneered biodegradable tree guards and successfully advocated for changes to Scottish Government funding for riverside planting. Scottish Land & Estates supported the campaign by brokering key meetings with land managers, helping secure sites for tree planting. By combining scientific evidence, practical conservation and strong partnerships, the campaign is protecting biodiversity, creating healthier rivers for future generations.
The impact of their work
The campaign has earned significant national recognition for its conservation impact and ability to engage the public. In 2023, it won the prestigious Nature & Climate Action Award at the Nature of Scotland Awards. The following year, it received the Holyrood Climate Action Award for Climate Campaign of the Year, celebrating the strength of the communications and media work behind the One Million Trees initiative. The work often takes place in harsh winter conditions and within one of the country’s most environmentally sensitive areas — the Cairngorms National Park. Planting at this scale, in such challenging terrain, demonstrates the Trust’s commitment to restoring riparian habitats and building long term climate resilience across the catchment. As these woodlands develop, they will rebuild riparian habitat and support the river’s food web. Leaf litter will provide essential nutrients for invertebrates, which in turn become a vital food source for juvenile salmon. The trees will create cooling shade capable of reducing river temperatures by 2–3°C, slow water flow, stabilise riverbanks, and reconnect fragmented habitats. Together, these improvements will build more resilient conditions for Atlantic salmon, freshwater pearl mussels, and wider wildlife, boosting biodiversity and strengthening freshwater ecosystem The campaign’s impact now reaches far beyond the River Dee. Its success has helped secure changes to Scottish Government funding for riparian tree planting, enabling more rivers across Scotland to adopt nature based solutions. This shift is accelerating restoration efforts well beyond the Dee catchment. It remains a race against time, and the work continues at pace.
Including the community
Partnership and community engagement have been central to the success of the One Million Trees campaign. From the outset, the River Dee Trust recognised that restoring an entire river catchment would require a shared vision, bringing together landowners, estates, farmers, businesses, schools, volunteers, community groups, public agencies including the Cairngorms National Park Authority, and local residents. The campaign has also harnessed vital funding from NatureScot’s Biodiversity Challenge and Nature Restoration Funds, the Scottish Rural Development Programme, local sources such as the Cairngorms Trust, Woodland Trust Scotland, and public donations. It has inspired people to take practical action through tree sponsorship, with individuals supporting planting to celebrate milestones, honour loved ones or contribute to climate action. Businesses have partnered with the campaign as part of their environmental commitments, while land managers have embraced opportunities to restore habitats across their estates. The Trust has communicated the importance of healthy rivers through television, radio, newspapers, social media and community engagement, helping turn a local conservation initiative into a nationally recognised movement. This outstanding public engagement was recognised through the Holyrood Climate Campaign of the Year Award. By empowering people from all sectors to become part of the solution, the River Dee Trust has shown that successful conservation depends on collaboration, creating a legacy that extends beyond tree planting and will benefit Scotland’s wildlife and communities for generations. Together we can make a difference for nature.
