This scale and connectivity mean that nature is able to function in a way that is less altered by human activity. Of course everything we do continues to have an impact. But as far as ‘natural’ gets in Britain’s countryside, this is at the top end of the scale.
Of the 5,000+ species recorded in the Cairngorms Connect area, 1/5th are nationally Rare or Scarce. Some species that are recorded here are recorded nowhere else in Britain, whilst others
such as capercaillie, twinflower, tooth fungi and shining guest ant have their real strongholds here.
This importance for habitats and species makes the project area internationally
significant for wildlife, and much of the land has designations to protect the wildlife and to guide our management.
Some of these habitats occur in the Cairngorms Connect area at a scale that is not bettered anywhere else in Britain.
…this rage in altitude gives us an amazing mix of habitats, which are immediately adjacent in the landscape, providing a great transition for nature from river floodplain to high mountain top.
The area extends over a huge altitudinal range - from 200m above sea level, by the River Spey, to 1,309m ASL, at the summit of Ben MacDui.
below for more information.
