Riverwoods is an exciting, ambitious initiative, launched in 2019 by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, to create a network of thriving riverbank woodlands and healthy river systems across the whole of Scotland.
Creating habitat – and joining the fragments of remaining good habitat – is essential for wildlife in a rapidly changing climate. Improving the habitat alongside Scotland’s rivers, streams and lochs will substantially contribute to building a much-needed Scottish Nature Network, helping to make Scotland’s wildlife and communities more resilient for the future.
About the Riverwoods initiative
The Scottish Wildlife Trust has developed and is leading Riverwoods, and since early 2019 has been working with a range of stakeholders and interested parties to shape the initiative (see below).
Many organisations and landowners are already undertaking river restoration projects, and Riverwoods will provide an opportunity to help join these up across Scotland. We will collectively share knowledge of the science underpinning riparian restoration, support landowners to carry out practical work, identify and address evidence gaps, showcase best practice and explore novel forms of financing to enable riparian restoration to be carried out at scale.
With Scotland’s streams and rivers covering an amazing 125,000km (12.5 times the length of the country’s coastline), improving riparian habitat has the potential to create transformative change delivering significant benefits for wildlife and people.
