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Ministers have given the go-ahead for new plans to improve Scotland's water environment.

The River Basin Management plans have been drawn up by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) following a consultation involving over 100 interested parties.

They set out how SEPA, the Scottish Government and all of Scotland's authorities and public bodies can enhance the environmental quality of rivers, lochs and seas.

Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham said:

"In Scotland we already have some the finest quality rivers and lochs in Europe - but we are determined to deliver greater benefits for the environment, our wildlife and tourism sector by doing even more to safeguard them for future generations.

"These new measures will also help us prepare and cope with the environmental issues we all face such as the impact of climate change. For the first time, we now have a set of plans to enable us to do that. They will ensure the right balance is struck between the protection of our water environment and wildlife and the interests of those who depend upon it for their prosperity.

"This marks a significant shift in water management, and a shift towards a holistic source-to-sea approach. The plans have been produced by SEPA, with input from over 100 organisations, but can only be successful if agencies, local authorities, businesses, land managers and the public work in partnership to deliver a healthy and sustainable future for Scotland's water environment."

SEPA Chief Executive, Campbell Gemmell, said:

"SEPA and its predecessor organisations have driven major improvements in Scotland's water quality over the past few decades. The fact that Scotland's water is already amongst the best in Europe is something to be celebrated, as is the number of water bodies already of good or better status. The task now is to build on this and meet our target of 97 per cent of water bodies achieving good or better status by 2027."

The RBMPs cover all rivers, loch, estuaries, coastal waters and underground waters, and present the current classification of the water environment. This is the first comprehensive assessment of all pressures on Scotland's water environment.

The RBMPs indicate that 63 per cent of Scotland's water bodies are currently at "good" status or better, an excellent foundation compared to most of Europe. Their development has involved many sectors, public bodies and non-governmental organisations, through the National Advisory Group, local Area Advisory Groups and the Scottish Government's RBMP network. These same sectors and organisations will be responsible for the successful implementation of the plans.

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