10.Conserve the Cairngorms Campaign
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The cornerstone of their case was based on the fact that the Cairngorms are protected by both national and European law. A large part of the Cairngorms has been designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) under the EC Wild Birds Directive. It has also been identified as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the later EC Habitats and Species Directive. Both RSPB and WWF argued that the proposed boundaries of the SPA and SAC were not based wholly on scientific grounds and this contravened the Directives. They claimed that the boundaries for the protected area were set by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Scottish Executive leaving important areas of Cairn Gorm wrongly excluded from protection. They felt this excluded area - which included the area for the funicular and the re-development of the existing ski area - was an integral part of the Cairngorms. Furthermore, they claimed that the way boundaries had been drawn allowed the funicular development to avoid more detailed scrutiny. |
Walkers
are just one group of people who use the Cairngorms for recreation.
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