RURAL LAND RESOURCES

THE CAIRNGORMS

THE CAIRNGORMSYou must be able to:

– Describe and explain the formation of a glaciated upland and the features found within. Important that you can name features

– Discuss the restrictions placed on economic development by environmental factors

– Explain the economic and social opportunities afforded by this landscape

– Explain land use conflicts in the area and outline solutions which have been put into practice commenting on their effectiveness

CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK

CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARKThe Cairngorms was made a National Park in September 2003 because it is

a unique and special place that needs to be cared for – both for the wildlife and countryside it contains and for the people that live in it, manage it and visit it. It is Britain's largest national Park.

The Cairngorms National Park has the largest area of arctic mountain landscape in the UK at its heart, with diverse communities around it. It

is home to 16,000 people and 25% of Britain's threatened birds, animals, and plants. It includes moorlands, forests, rivers, lochs and glens.

For more information visit http://www.cairngorms.co.uk/

THE CAIRNGORMSACTIVITY:

You have 2 minutes to note as many glacial features as possible!

Look at your features and group them in any way you think Appropriate – be prepared to justify your groupings!

Look at the following os map extracts and see how many of the features on your list you can spot in this small section

of the cairngorms national park

CORRIES

ARETES

TRUNCATED SPURS

U-SHAPED VALLEY

HANGING VALLEY

CORRIE LOCH / TARN

RIBBON LAKE

GLACIAL ACTION(BY ICE)

EROSION

CORRIESARETES

PYRAMIDAL PEAKSHANGING VALLEYSU-SHAPED VALLEYSROCHE MOUTONNEE

RIBBON LAKESFIORDS

DEPOSITION

GROUND MORAINEMORAINE RIDGES

(TERMINAL)DRUMLINSERRATICS

REMEMBER FLUVIOGLACIAL (BY MELTWATER) FEATURE TOO!

KAMES, ESKERS, OUTWASH PLAINS

CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK

PHYSICAL FEATURE LOCAL EXAMPLE

U-Shaped valley Lairig Ghru

Corries Coire Cas

Ribbon loch Loch Einich

Scree Slopes Cairngorms Plateux

THE CAIRNGORMSFURTHER BACKGROUND TO CAIRNGORMS:

– Low population density (at margins and valley floors)– Swells at weekends and in holidays– Tastes in landscapes – Cairngorms not always viewed so

positively• Improved as a result of extensions to railway networks and writing

/ celebrity visits

– Growth in Active tourism– Many visitors attracted by dramatic scenery – shown by

research

THE CAIRNGORMSRESTRICTIONS ON DEVELOPMENT

1. RELIEF:– Much of the Cairngorms is mountainous– Higher surfaces are bare rock with dangerous scree slopes

below

2. CLIMATE:– Temperatures are cool in summer due to high altitude– Growing season too short for many crops– Precipitation is high throughout the year– Leaches the nutrients out of the soil– Heavy cloud cover limits hours of sunshine

3. DISTANCE FROM MARKETS:– Remote from large urban centres – transport costs– Steep slopes / rocks make road building expensive

THE CAIRNGORMSOPPORTUNITIES

FARMING– Some hill sheep farming on lower slopes and valley

floor in winter

FORESTRY– Trees largely removed during agricultural and

industrial revolution– Forestry Commission set up in 1919– Extensive reafforestation has taken place– Some have criticised the visual impact of this

development

THE CAIRNGORMSOPPORTUNITIES

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER

– The Highlands of Scotland offer the ideal conditions for H.E.P.– Steep valley sides which can be dammed– Large volume of water / catchment areas– Civil engineering skills in Scotland have

maximised these conditions– Glacial lochs also major sources of water supply

THE CAIRNGORMSOPPORTUNITIES

TOURISM

– Natural attractions – Cairngorm, Lairig Ghru– Upland glacial features – Waterfalls, lakes etc.– Recreation – hill walking, rock climbing, mountain biking, skiing at

Cairngorm– 4 of the biggest 5 mountains in Scotland– Contrast with city life – quiet and much less polluted– A9 links Central Belt to places like Aviemore– Many jobs in tourist industry (Accommodation, services, catering etc)– Facilities developed to encourage tourism – leisure centre– Accounts for 80% of the economy

HYPERLINK

CAIRNGORMS - CONFLICTTOURISM VS CONSERVATION

Only area of sub-artic environment in the UK

Designated as SSSI then a National Park in 2003

Ease of access from A9, growing car ownership have led to increased visitor numbers

Superb conditions for winter sports – hill walking

500,000 people visited the Cairngorms in 2001

Tourism accounted for 80% of the local economy – shooting, hunting, fishing skiing etc.

CONFLICTTOURISM VS CONSERVATION

MAJOR CONFLICTS THAT OCCUR IN ALL 3 CASE STUDY AREAS

Footpath erosion – especially around major physical attractions

Overcrowding / Congestion – especially on narrow country roads

Noise / Air pollution

Risk to endangered species

Damage to natural environment which visitors are attracted to in the first

place

CONFLICTTOURISM VS CONSERVATION

MAJOR CONFLICTS THAT OCCUR IN ALL 3 CASE STUDY AREAS

CONFLICT SOLUTION EFFECTIVENESS

Footpath erosion Paved pathsRocks to strengthen mountain tracks

Walkers more aware via sign postage and maps. People sticking to pathsCosts a lot of money to maintain

Litter Provision of more binsInformation through publicity / visitor centres

Public more aware about impact of litter on environment

Gates left open Use of kissing gates Costly to install but very effective

Traffic congestion

Ring road on approach to Cairngorm ski resort car parkSome additional public transport and park and ride schemesOpening of additional attractions

Aids flow of trafficNarrow approach roads can still get congested early in the dayAdditional parking has been requiredPeople still inclined to take own car to the slopesSpreads visitors throughout the resort

CONFLICT AND SOLUTIONS

1. AVIEMORE – LACK OF HOUSING

• Lots of workers and retired people moving here– Employees in the tourist industry

• Shortage of housing becoming a much bigger issue• Visual impact of tourist facilities (shop fronts, hotels)• Strict planning policies in place – must be sympathetic to

natural environment

CONFLICTS AND SOLUTIONS

REMEMBER:

People are brought around the table in National Parks to come to

agreed solutions

25 Board Members on the National Park Board – they make decisions

which affect the area (5 are elected by the local community)

CONFLICT – DEVELOPMENT OF SKIING FACILITES

SKIING IN THE CAIRNGORMS

BACKGROUND– Growth in skiing since early developments in the 1960s– Demand for better facilities (roads, ski runs, restaurants etc.)– Skiiers bring about £12m a year to the local economy– Generating the equivalent of 350 full-time jobs

EARLY DEVELOPMENT– White Lady Chairlift opened in 1961 – first mechanical lift– Road extension from Aviemore– Concentration of skiing at Coire Cas– By the 1980s number of skiiers had reached limit– Plans to develop further ski runs into the Northern Corries

CONFLICT – DEVELOPMENT OF SKIING FACILITES

SKIING IN THE CAIRNGORMS

ARGUMENTS AGAINST DEVELOPMENT– Scottish National Heritage were against the plan– Concerns about visual impact, effect on other types of

recreation and on wildlife in the area– Wear and tear greater than ability of natural environment to

regenerate: snowmelt and rain leads to washing away of topsoil

ARGUMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENT– Opening of other modern ski facilities elsewhere in Scotland

and cheap flights to Europe increased pressure to develop in the Cairngorms.

– The area was losing money. – The development of the area would create more jobs.

CONFLICT – DEVELOPMENT OF SKIING FACILITES

SKIING IN THE CAIRNGORMS

– Chairlifts unreliable and closed when winds rose over 30mph

SOLUTION– Funicular Railway approved in 1997 – replace chairlifts– Benefits: year round tourism can be supported and

existing services replaced with one integrated mode of travel, protection of skiing in the area.

– Disadvantages: damages the natural habitat which attracts year round visitors.

– Construction began in 1999

CONFLICT – DEVELOPMENT OF SKIING FACILITES

SKIING IN THE CAIRNGORMS

EFFECTIVENESS• Strict ‘Visitor Management Plan’ had to be adopted to

satisfy the protesters – the end solution was a compromise• Users cannot leave the top station (except skiiers in

winter)• Cannot visit the summit from the restaurant / shop• Minimises erosion of the landscape• Some of the Railway is hidden within a tunnel• The Cairngorms remains a viable business with little

additional damage to the environment – many conservationists were very angry though

CONFLICT – DEVELOPMENT OF HEP STATIONS

BACKGROUND– High precipitation and natural lochs make it ideal for the

generation of HEP– Many large scale schemes in the 1950s– Laggan HEP dam is a well known example– Problems: visual impact and environmental impact– Active recreation can be disrupted by this type of

development– Fishing, sightseeing can also be affected

SOLUTION– Unlikely that many more large scale HEP projects will be

allowed in the Cairngorms– New solutions – allow water to run down river at all times to

protect ecological health– Water is taken via pipes through the mountains

ACTIVITY:

Working in pairs pick one of the conflicts / conservation issues from the Cairngorms:

• Conservation vs Tourism (E.g funicular railway)

• Expansion of skiing in the Cairngorms

• Changing Villages – Laggan

• Forestry

• H.E.P.

SOURCE

Environmental Interactions Textbook

Pages 53 65

• Beualy to Denny Transmission Line

Write down INFO ON:

- Conflict

- Solutions

- Effectiveness