We use science and monitoring to help inform how we work and to understand the effects of our restoration work on the landscape and species around us. Monitoring means regularly observing and recording data related to these landscapes and species.
We have picked three broad species groups to monitor which offer a good indication of how biodiversity is responding to habitat restoration. These groups are Songbirds, Macro-Moths (i.e. the larger species of moth) and Ericaceous Shrubs (heathers and close relatives).
We measure changes through time (“longitudinal” studies) by doing repeat monitoring at set sites across the project area every year to track changes in the wildlife community in real time.
We also compare different sites at different stages of restoration (a “chronosequence” approach) which allows us to measure how fast changes might take place and what these changes might look like. This helps us understand the impact of restoration (for example development of mature woodland) on these species, within a short timescale.
We also monitor comparison sites in Norway and in the eastern Cairngorms to give us an idea how groups of species in the Cairngorms Connect area compare to areas of geographically and climatically similar habitat in places under contrasting land management regimes. Norwegian comparison areas are more heavily wooded than Cairngorms Connect, while the eastern Cairngorms contain more extensive areas of open moorland.
Predators have been returning to the Cairngorms Connect area over the last few decades, while in the same area there are prey species that are threatened, such as the Capercaillie. The Cairngorms Connect Predator Project is looking into this changing community of predators and the implications for the wider ecosystem.
This involves using the latest genetic methods to find out what Foxes, Martens and Badgers are eating, a large camera trapping effort, and annual monitoring of key species such as Voles, Capercaillies and Raptors.
For more information on the Predator Project, click here.
We are monitoring the impact of our ongoing restoration work on areas of the River Spey, including Insh Marshes floodplain, to improve the connection between the river and floodplain.
We do this using drones equipped with cameras to take photos of floodplains from above. We have fixed automatic cameras which take pictures at regular intervals as water levels rise and fall through the seasons. These photographs allow us to monitor the changes that are taking place, for example documenting mobile shingle banks that form as more natural river processes become established.
Surveys are used to assess areas suitable for fish breeding prior, during and after restoration occurs.
Water table loggers in place around this part of the Spey floodplain collect data on water depth, allowing us to monitor it over time. Water table loggers are devices which measure the temperature, pressure and level of the water.
A key objective of restoration work within the Cairngorms Connect partnership is to allow the expansion of native woodlands to their natural limits, high in the mountains. To monitor our progress, we’re using woodland surveys and satellite images.
Every few years, surveyors visit standard survey plots and transects to count trees, separating them into categories by species and height. By repeating woodland surveys regularly, we measure how the newly developing woodland areas are responding to our management. Read more about woodland expansion within the Cairngorms Connect landscape.
We are also working with Cambridge University to trial monitoring natural regeneration using imagery from drones and LiDAR surveys (surveys completed by small aircraft that use lasers to build up a complete picture of the ground layer).
Image (above): Beetle monitoring in area of restructured pine plantation, as part of our work to understand how deadwood creation helps restore a key element of ecological function, found in more natural forests.
Deadwood is an essential part of a healthy forest, home to a huge diversity of flora and fauna. We are working to increase the amount and diversity of deadwood in woodlands across the Cairngorms Connect area. To monitor the effects of this work we are studying deadwood-dwelling beetles as they are a key component of forest biodiversity.
We measure the abundance and diversity of deadwood beetles in former plantation forests where new deadwood is being actively created and compare this with the beetle abundance and diversity in areas where no active deadwood creation is taking place. We also monitor the natural accumulation of deadwood in these forests. Read more about this work here.
Image (above): Cairngorms Connect Venison at Balliefurth Farm Shop in Nethy Bridge with butchers Neil and Mike. Photo by Lizzie Brotherston
People are at the heart of our 200-year vision for the Cairngorms Connect landscape, and if this vision is to be resilient against future challenges, this work needs to have importance and meaning for people both now and in future generations.
Therefore, alongside the ecological scientific monitoring projects, we also monitor the impact of the habitat restoration work on people. To do this we are using written and face-to-face surveys to look at three main societal indicators: economics, empowerment and influence, and public attitudes to restoration.
This includes:
Economic
For a project to be resilient it needs to be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. As Scotland transitions to a low carbon economy, it is looking for opportunities to support jobs in a way that meets all three of these conditions.
We are using the economic indicator to measure the direct and additional economic impact of the Cairngorms Connect partnership on the economy of the local area. To do this we measure how many jobs have been created and how much has been spent in the local economy as a direct result of the partnership.
Empowerment and Influence
To be ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable, a wide range of people – including partnership staff and local communities – need to feel able to contribute to Cairngorms Connect decision making. Cairngorms Connect's processes and actions need to empower people to put forward their thoughts and ideas, to be a part of the partnership and the landscape.
We are continually monitoring our approach to engagement and how people feel this affects their ability to inform the partnership and their sense of belonging to Cairngorms Connect.
Public Attitudes to Restoration
Change can be challenging , and a major consideration in landscape restoration is public attitudes towards a changing landscape. One of the goals of the Cairngorms Connect Partnership is to inform a wide range of people about the work we do and to increase awareness of the benefits of landscape-scale restoration.
Understanding how people feel helps inform how we engage with local communities. As well as ongoing dialogue between Cairngorms Connect and members of the public, we are using a formal face-to-face survey with members of the local community and visitors to the CC area, to better understand how people view the landscape and how this may be changing over the course of our work. We first completed this survey in winter 2019-2020, with a repeat in winter 2024-2025.
