moorings
Strategy and planning
Board Code of Conduct
Asset Management Strategy and decision making
Corporate plan and vision 2023-28
Business Plan 2023/24
Marketing and Communications Strategy 2020-23
Environment Strategy 2015-25
Heritage Strategy 2013-38
Past plans and strategies
Managing our public records: Reporting to National Records of Scotland
Net Zero Routemap
Edinburgh Union Canal Strategy 2024-2029

Environment Strategy 2015-25

Table of Contents

The comprehensive strategy will play a key role as the organisation looks to achieve its goal of having canals act as catalysts for sustainable development in communities across Scotland.

It assesses Scottish Canals’ current performance in 10 key environmental areas and identifies ways in which existing achievements can be built on during the next decade.

The document is designed to provide Scottish Canals with a blueprint for responding to emerging environmental challenges while also identifying environmentally friendly ways, such as reducing electricity usage, to minimise costs.

It has been developed in partnership with organisations including the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Fit for the Future Network, National Trust for Wales and Resource Efficient Scotland.
Operating the 137 miles of its network presents Scottish Canals with a number of unique environmental opportunities and challenges. The diverse range of the organisation’s work means it is potentially subject to more than 130 pieces of environmental legislation which apply not only to the canals and their towpaths, but also the 3,180 fixed assets it manages on the network.

This includes 251 bridges, 212 buildings, 256 locks, The Falkirk Wheel and 19 water supply reservoirs in locations across Scotland. The reservoirs cover an area equivalent to 7,494 football pitches and supply the canals with the, up to, 332 million litres of water which flow through them each day.

The canal system is inherently energy efficient with 95% of its water supply being gravity fed. Scottish Canals takes more than 10,500 measurements of water flows and levels each year to ensure the network operates smoothly and safely for the range of activities undertaken by the 22 million people who visit the canals annually.

Responding to emerging environmental challenges, reducing our impact and enhancing the environment in its widest sense is integral to what Scottish Canals does now, and for our future success.
 

Our first Environment Strategy seeks to define a clear route to delivering sustainable benefits during the next ten years (2015-25) for our customers, the canal network and the wider environment.

Take a look at the strategy introduction and summary – the strategy documents by theme are listed to the right. You can also read our strategy aims and targets, our environmental policy and our biodiversity duty report for 2011-14.

Introduction and Summary [1.873 MB] Energy and Carbon Management [1.676 MB] Water Resource Management and Flood Control [2.298 MB] Waste Management [1.818 MB] Transport and Travel [1.796 MB] Sustainable Procurement [1.539 MB] Buildings Asset Management and Sustainable Places [1.626 MB] Environmental Governance and Compliance [1.568 MB] Water Land Air Quality Management [1.853 MB] Biodiversity Management [2.099 MB] Environmental Awareness Participation [1.727 MB] Scottish Canals Environment Strategy 2015-25 [1.873 MB] Scottish Canals Environmental Policy [318.286 KB] Scottish Canals Report on the Scottish Biodiversity Duty for 2011-14 [342.117 KB]