Scottish Forestry has approved a 10-year land management plan for Scottish Water’s Loch Katrine estate, which will see the creation of over 4,600 hectares of native woodland, largely through re-wilding and natural regeneration.

It will also see the lands around the loch boost the fight against the climate crisis by locking up more carbon and improving the resilience of the catchment to climate change.

The 10-year plan was developed by Scottish Water in partnership with long-term tenant Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS).

“Loch Katrine is a hugely significant site in terms of Scotland’s natural environment, as well as being the basis of an essential service for around a quarter of Scotland’s population,” says Dr Mark Williams, Scottish Water’s head of sustainability and climate change.

“It has nationally important peatland, moorland and woodland habitats, which offer many recreational opportunities for visitors and residents alike but which are also vitally important in our work to mitigate the impact of the climate crisis.”

The eight-mile long freshwater loch is surrounded by 9,500 hectares of land which is occupied and managed by FLS and located in the heart of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.

It is anticipated that delivering these actions will see a 40 percent increase in the status of biodiversity across the site, as well as capturing up to one million tonnes of carbon over 60 years.

Restoring natural woodland and encouraging healthy, functioning peatland and moorland will make the landscape more resilient to climate change, helping to stabilise soils, hold more water and slow the runoff from the land.