Plans lodged to realign part of River Tromie at one of Europe’s most important wetlands

Plans have been lodged to realign 400 metres of the River Tromie near to Kingussie.

The application has been lodged by RSPB Scotland for Insh Marshes with the aim of improving habitat for local wildlife and reducing the threat of flooding.

The charity states in supporting information submitted to Highland Council planners: “This project will realign the lower stretch of the River Tromie back onto the alluvial fan to create a more sustainable system.

“We aim to improve the wetland and river habitats for a range of designated and non-designated species and reduce flood risk to neighbouring land and property.

“Climate change predictions are for increases in river flows and severity of spates and flooding events.

“The restoration work will help buffer increases in river flows making the area more climate resilient.”

They point out that changing the course of the river is nothing new and numerous modifications have been made by man to the Tromie as it flows through the floodplain since the late 1700s.

Explaining the need for the work, the applicants state: “The floodplain and rivers are far from natural due to historic human intervention.

“Modifications - flood embankments, bank protection, drainage, straightening of natural water courses - were made to drain the marshes for agriculture over 200 years ago and the marshes are still used for grazing by cattle, sheep and ponies and provides silage for the tenant.

“The vegetation and productivity have changed over the past 40 years in response to improving conditions for waders but past drainage continues to impact many of the important designated wetland plant and animal communities.

“Several of the Spey tributaries flow across Insh Marshes and all have been influenced by past land management resulting in poorer quality aquatic habitats and perched river beds, and have been maintained in their current channels by dredging which is no longer the preferred management technique….

“The straightening and canalisation of the River Tromie has resulted in the loss of in river habitat diversity, leaving the channel devoid of typical pool and riffle sequences.

“The altered conditions will have negatively impacted several important riparian and aquatic species including Atlantic salmon, freshwater pearl mussel, otter and birds such as dipper, goldeneye, common sandpiper and goosander, which all rely on high numbers of aquatic invertebrates.”

The marshes covering 10 square kilometres are owned by RSPB Scotland and are part of the Cairngorms Connect Partnership.

Forestry and Land Scotland, Wildland Ltd and NatureScot are also in the partnership which shares a 200-year vision of landscape scale habitat restoration for nature.

If approved, RSPB Scotland has said work would start after August 1 following the bird breeding season.

Any in channel works would have to be completed by the end of September ahead of the fish spawning season.

More details on the application can be found here.

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