A new initiative has been launched to work and collaborate with land managers across the Upper Forth catchment, aiming to increase climate resilience and optimise water resources for people and nature. 

The Forth Resilient Water Landscape Initiative (FRWLI), led by Forth Rivers Trust in partnership with the Carse of Stirling Partnership and Glasgow Caledonian University, and funded by FORTH2O’s Commissioning Fund, is designed to encourage practical collaborations on nature-based solutions across the region. 

The Upper-Forth landscape is a rich mosaic of farmland, woodlands, lochs, and protected sites, supporting diverse wildlife and vital habitats. Many areas, however, are under pressure, with degraded and fragmented ecosystems contributing to flooding, water shortages, and biodiversity decline. The FRWLI project will look at ways to tackle these challenges, exploring how to reconnect nature, strengthen climate and business resilience, and benefit the communities who live and work here. 

Central to the project is the creation of a Land Manager Cluster, a collaborative platform for farmers, land managers, and estate owners. The cluster will co-design land management solutions that protect nature while strengthening rural economies. Activities will include one-to-one advisory visits, farm walks, and demonstration site visits covering topics such as leaky dams, reconnecting floodplains, tree planting, and more. 

By bringing people together across sectors, the project will enable the sharing of skills, local knowledge, and ideas. It will build a shared understanding of catchment challenges and the benefits of nature-based solutions, including flood retention and mitigation, carbon sequestration, improved food and water security, reduced erosion, enhanced biodiversity, and the potential for new income streams and job creation for land managers. 

The project’s place-based approach ensures that actions are practical, locally relevant, and supported by those who live and work in the Upper Forth. Communities in the villages and settlements across the catchment will also have opportunities to learn about emerging skills in rural land management and understand the actions being taken to boost climate resilience and optimise water resources. 

The initiative builds on existing Forth Rivers Trust catchment and landscape scale projects including Leven Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs), Lothian Esk Catchment Partnership and much more, as well as the Carse Climate Action Initiative and other environmental projects delivered by The Carse of Stirling Partnership. Glasgow Caledonian University will lead the project’s monitoring and evaluation framework, applying innovative research methodologies to track its outcomes and build a robust evidence base, ensuring that successful interventions can be confidently replicated across Scotland. 

For more information and to get involved, contact r.smillie@forthriverstrust.org or register to get involved with the Land Management Cluster platform 

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Amelia Heath of The Forth Rivers Trust said-   

“We are delighted that Forth Rivers Trust has been awarded a project from Forth2O, allowing us to take a leading role in building climate resilient water landscapes in the Upper Forth. This is an exciting opportunity to work closely with place-based partners, farmers, foresters, and land managers to demonstrate the power of nature-based solutions at scale. Equally, we are looking forward to learning from the experience of our fellow Forth2O partners, whose diverse expertise and innovation will help us all deliver stronger, more joined-up outcomes for people, nature, and rural communities.” 

Cath Preston of Carse of Stirling Partnership said –  

“The Carse of Stirling Partnership is excited to be working with the Forth Rivers Trust and Glasgow Caledonian University on the Forth Resilient Water Landscape Initiative funded by Forth2O. This is a significant opportunity to work collaboratively with land managers, businesses, communities, and other partners to identify and build win-win opportunities and nature-based solutions for the Forth water landscape to increase productivity, value and catchment resilience – through land manager clusters and advisory visits, sharing good practice events, and land manager and community capacity building. The Carse of Stirling Partnership will provide strong connections with local farmers, landowners and communities and brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge to support the project and ensure alignment with other existing initiatives such as Carse Climate Action.” 

Karin Helwig of Glasgow Caledonian University said –  

“Glasgow Caledonian University is proud to bring our research expertise in monitoring and evaluation to this vital initiative. Our role in developing a robust evidence base and transferable blueprint reflects our commitment to research for the common good – ensuring that nature-based solutions can be scaled up across Scotland with confidence. Through rigorous data collection and analysis, we’ll demonstrate not just what works, but why it works, providing the scientific foundation needed to influence future policy on sustainable land use.” 

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About the funder:  The Forth Resilient Water Landscape Initiative is funded by Forth2O’s Commissioning Fund. The £1m Commissioning Fund is a pivotal resource within the FORTH2O project, designed to spark investment and foster innovative collaborations across the region. By providing targeted financial support, the Fund enables partners and stakeholders to work together in new and creative ways, co-creating solutions that address pressing water challenges. Forth2O is a collaborative project, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Innovate UK, and led by the University of Stirling.