The Citizen Esk Project seeks to place the collective voices of the community within the Esk catchment at the forefront, highlighting the impacts they see affecting local river systems, understanding the issues, and calling for action with confidence.

Citizen Esk is a three-year project starting in 2022. Over this time the Forth Rivers Trust will identify interested local people and support the formation of a steering group which will gather the thoughts of the community and help them identify pressures on the river that they would like to act on. Once identified, the Trust will support the development of citizen science projects and signpost the community towards those that are already established. This will provide data to give the community a better understanding of the issues affecting their river, and how they can make changes.

Forth Rivers Trust already has an interest in the health of the Esk river system, however we cannot speak for the communities living in the catchment. Since 2016, the Scottish Government committed to “engaging and empowering communities” in the development of local land management. The Trust recognises we can offer support to the communities living alongside the Esk River so that they are empowered and engaged stakeholders, capable of building a healthier river environment that benefits both the human community and the natural one.