Land and Water Resource Management

Scotland is globally renowned for its natural resources like clean rivers, rich wildlife, heather moorlands and fresh air. Protecting, enhancing and restoring these resources provides us with many benefits and is essential to safeguard our future environment, wellbeing and the economy.  River Basin Management Planning (RBMP) provides a framework to reduce pressures on Scotland’s water environment and protect and enhance the benefits that our rivers, lochs, wetlands and groundwaters provide. 

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi or other microbes change in ways that stop medicines, like antibiotics, from working properly. This makes infections harder to treat and increases the risk of them spreading, lasting longer, or becoming more serious. The Scottish One Health AMR Register (SOHAR) brings together AMR-related research involving Scottish researchers and organisations. It shows how Scotland is contributing to national efforts and helps identify where more work is needed.

River woodlands (RW) play a crucial role in protecting river ecosystems, for example by reducing flooding, storing carbon, filtering pollution, and benefiting local communities. However, nearly 55% of surveyed riverbank in Scotland show poor RW health. This highlights a need for RW restoration. While RW initiatives like Riverwoods are gaining traction, scaling them up remains challenging. In 2022, Riverwoods conducted a review of existing research on RW benefits, identifying 60 key knowledge gaps.