Life on the River Tay - annual conference

Life on and around the River Tay - from climate change and its effect on floods to the role of the river in helping make Scotland Europe's No. 1 wildlife tourist destination - was the topic of discussion at the Tay Estuary Forum's annual conference recently.

The forum, which is housed by the University of Dundee, encompasses a wide range of organisations and community groups with an interest in the estuary.

This year's conference was divided into two main themes - `The Working Tay' and `The Tay at Play'.

The former covered some of the history of the river, including the evolution of Dundee's harbours and the North Carr Lightship, and issues which are very much affecting the river in the present day.

Among those is climate change and the new challenges it may present. In his talk, Dr Andrew Black, of the Department of Geography, discussed climate change and flood risk on the Tay at Perth, which has long suffered from the effects of flooding, as clearly marked in the records engraved onto Smeaton's Bridge.

In `The Tay at Play' the conference heard from Caroline Warburton of the organisation Wild Scotland, which works to promote wildlife-watching opportunities in Scotland and also promote best practice through a responsible approach to wildlife and the environment and also by providing enjoyable and professional experiences for visitors. Wild Scotland has a vision - that Scotland is the best place in Europe to go wildlife-watching. Caroline outlined the truth of that statement in her talk.

Talks on Angus coastal paths and sustainable tourism opportunities in the Inner Tay estuary were also presented to the forum.

"Our conference this year was a great mix of the many issues that have shaped how the Tay and its adjacent coastline has developed over the years, and those that will shape it in the future," said Professor Robert Duck, chair of the Tay Estuary Forum.