We don’t just talk about restoring habitats - we get it done. That is our driving motivation. We know we are fortunate in managing places that are already spectacular and important, and there are many opportunities to do so much more. We get to know the sensitive species and habitats so we can safeguard and enhance them. We manage habitats to make them even better for wildlife, and for people who enjoy wildlife and wild places. We monitor the outcomes of management, so we - and others - can learn from our work. We share the wonder and magic of this spectacular part of Scotland with people - whether they live here, visit, or follow us on social media.
Cairngorms Connect is the biggest habitat restoration project in Britain, encompassing 600sq.km. (230 sq. miles) of contiguous land – dedicated to wildlife.
From the floodplain of the River Spey, through huge and ancient forests, to some of the highest mountains in Britain, we are shoulder-to-shoulder; a powerful combination, put to work for nature, across a vast area.
Nature doesn’t recognise fences, or lines drawn on a map – eagles soar over hills, and wood ants hurry through forests. To them, the important boundaries are where opportunities improve or diminish, where survival gets easier, or more difficult. The strength of our partnership is in creating a seamless landscape for nature, resilient to the effects of climate change.
Cairngorms Connect partners are working together to control deer numbers to allow forests to expand; to naturalise rivers; to restore huge tracts of peatland, and give common messages to visitors. Working together means bigger projects. Combining our resources makes the money go further!
This is an amazing place for nature! The Cairngorms Connect habitats are home to an extraordinary diversity of wildlife. Over 5,000 species have been recorded here; around 20% are Nationally Rare or Scarce; some are recorded nowhere else in Britain.
Eagles, wildcats, pine martens, ospreys, black grouse, ptarmigan, otters, lapwings, tooth-fungi, shining-guest ants, sub-Alpine mosses, and many more species make their home here. In 2016, the Cairngorms Connect forests were home to half of the UK’s male capercaillie – the world’s largest grouse, and a species under serious threat in Britain. There are more patches of the rare and fascinating twinflower here, than anywhere else in the UK.
We have a vital role to help people experience and value these wild places, without also damaging or disturbing the very things that they have come to see.
Cairngorms Connect is committed to enhancing the “services” provided by a healthy environment rich in life. A joined-up and more natural landscape functions more effectively and better serves the needs of wildlife and people. As our forests expand and diversify they will clean our air and help regulate our climate. As our peatlands function more effectively, they will purify water and store huge amounts of carbon. Soil quality will improve and the flow of rain and snowmelt into naturally meandering river systems will slow and reduce downstream flood risk.
Initially, this involves significant interventions, such as drain blocking to raise water tables. There will also be an ongoing need to control grazing pressure by collaboratively managing deer populations. In the longer term, natural processes will take hold and dictate how this landscape evolves.
Cairngorms Connect embraces our responsibility to deliver these “ecosystem services” – contributing to flood regulation, climate regulation, breaking down waste, providing food, fuel and water, and contributing to the quality of life, culture and well-being for local people and visitors.
Cairngorms Connect is not just a “talking shop.” We plan our management together, pool our information and experiences, and co-ordinate our research and monitoring work. We get things done.
If our vision is to be realised, it will require the time and expertise of many different people who share that vision. It will need active involvement from those who live and work here, and those who visit this spectacular place.
Working with committed people – from scientists to stalkers; from farmers to foresters, we want to inspire fresh thinking about how a healthier, natural landscape can build strong, economically vibrant local communities where - alongside new business models - sustainable agriculture, forestry and deer management still have an important role to play.
Cairngorms Connect aims to develop an international reputation for a pioneering, science-based approach to landscape-scale restoration, attracting and informing researchers and educators from around the world.
As the Cairngorms Connect landscape becomes wilder, more visitors will be attracted to it: walkers, adventurers, photographers, wildlife watchers and hunters will all help support local businesses and provide new opportunities.
Wild landscapes can make us feel amazing; they soothe our soul and allow our imaginations to soar. They bring us fresh perspective and a close encounter with a wild animal can be transformative, etching a memory that lasts forever.
A secure future for the Cairngorms Connect area needs people to value and care for its wild places and wildlife. This is a place for local people, and those who visit from afar; for those who come to learn and even begin their careers; to be creative, have fun, get active, or to find a place of tranquility. This is an inspiring place for all of us – at any age.
Here, we can tell great stories, deliver clear messages, build understanding, and offer memorable experiences.
Cairngorms Connect is pushing the boundaries of landscape restoration, working at much larger scales, with much greater emphasis on natural processes, than is typical in the UK. Although we tap into a substantial scientific evidence base in some areas, in other areas the novelty of our work throws up challenges and uncertainties.
We use science to reduce these uncertainties, informing and supporting our restoration work. Coordinated by the Cairngorms Connect Scientists’ Working Group, comprising scientists employed by partners and the partnership, and working closely with practitioners and academic partners, we deliver and host a range of science projects. We seek to “co-design” science with practitioners, via close partnership working, from inception to delivery, evaluation and implementation.
Overall, our science programme addresses two big questions: “how should we restore?” – informing practice – and “what do we gain, when we restore?” – informing land-use choices. Hence, we see Cairngorms Connect not just as a rich and inspirational landscape, but also as a “laboratory” or “observatory”, where we build the evidence needed to support landscape scale restoration.
