The Tarland Catchment Initiative

THE TARLAND CATCHMENT

The Tarland Catchment is the most westerly tributary of the River Dee, N.E. Scotland in which intensive land management dominates the land-use. Water quality, aquatic and riparian habitats in the catchment are degraded. Of particular concern is the concentration of suspended sediments, associated phosphorus, nitrate, bacterial coliforms, restricted and poor habitat. Deterioration of these aspects is largely the result of a number of factors and pressures but the major ones are:- the historical legacy of land improvement, the intensification of land management and the enlargement of the village of Tarland and outlying communities.