The River South Esk catchment is located in Angus, in North East Scotland. The catchment is the area of land drained by the River South Esk and its tributaries. Also included in the catchment are lochs, groundwaters, wetlands and the unique enclosed estuary of Montrose Basin.

The catchment is very important to Angus and beyond, for a variety of economic and ecological reasons. It is as a source of livelihood for many working in farming, forestry, fisheries and recreation, and also boasts many habitats which are of great value for wildlife. The River South Esk is of such importance for nature conservation that it has, under the European Habitats Directive, been designated a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for Atlantic salmon and Freshwater pearl mussel.