The Bowmont-Glen catchment has special qualities and is truly unique, both ecologically and physically:

  • The Tweed catchment is renowned for its diverse and traditional landscapes, which support a rich variety of important habitats and species; this has been recognised through several nature designations, including Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) & National Park
  • In particular, the Tweed system boasts one of the best wild stocks of Atlantic salmon in Europe.
  • Unusually, the river hosts all three species of lamprey; brook, river & sea lamprey, making the catchment very important in a European context.
  • 19 fish species are recorded in the wider Tweed system, and the Bowmont-Glen system is the upper extent of migration for many of these species and has the potential to be an important spawning ground should habitats be suitable. The upper two thirds of the system are fast flowing clean and have clear waters that can provide good habitat for other species such as gudgeon, brown trout, stone loach and three-spine stickleback. Slower moving areas in the lower third are more suited to grayling (internationally scarce), pike, eel and allis shad. Fish populations, particularly migratory species, are currently under threat from barriers to fish movement, including sediment accumulations and certain structures such as bridges:
  • Shrew and water vole are present in the system, together with an increasing population of otters.
  • Typical bird species seen around waterbodies include the grey heron, oystercatcher, snipe, curlew, redshank, kingfisher, sand martin and dipper. The rich habitat is also used by overwintering populations including cormorant, whooper swans and mute swans.
  • Among the scarce species of aquatic plant found in the system are the Kelso water crowfoot and the internationally scarce fox tail feather moss.
  • The channels are great examples of dynamic upland wandering gravel-bed rivers, one of the most diverse and changeable fluvial environments in the UK.
  • The system contains many important geological and morphological characteristics that are important for conservation.
  • The landscape has a rich history of agricultural improvements, including cultivation terraces possibly dating back to the Middle Ages
  • The cross-border location provides a very valuable case study for collaboration between a number of statutory bodies