The meeting will involve a “science speed dating” session, plenary talks, field trips and themed group sessions including presentation of research, poster sessions and working groups which will identify strengths, gaps and potential collaborations regarding applied research in the Cairngorms. The group sessions will be built around the following themes for the next National Park Plan:
Sustainable Land Use and Sustainable Forests:
The Cairngorms National Park includes a wide variety of habitats and land uses, owned and managed by a wide range of people for many reasons. It provides services such as water, the storage of carbon, presence of rare and fragile species and habitats, a recreational resource important to all of Scotland and beyond. The use and management of the land are the basis for the Park being a special place and the foundation of the Park’s economy. This themes are about how to use and manage the land of the Cairngorms National Park for food, products, recreation, biodiversity, landscape, services, development of homes or businesses, other public benefits and enhancing the special qualities.
Sustainable Destinations and Sustainable Communities
The Cairngorms National Park is currently home to around 17000 people who live and work here. It’s expected that the Park will continue to be an attractive place for people to live and to come to live. The Park is a special place that people live in and visit, enjoying the special qualities and opportunities it provides. A large part of the economy is supported by the many visitors, and it is the enjoyment of the Park by both residents and visitors that can create tension where land is managed for other objectives.The communities of the Park face similar issues to others in rural Scotland. They need places to live, to work, services and opportunities for enjoyment. They are affected by changes in the population, by remoteness, by fragility of rural services. The communities of the Park are all distinctive places, with distinctive social communities and activities that are basis for the living culture of the Park.
These themes are about how to ensure the Cairngorms National Park is a place that people come to, appreciate, care for and contribute to, supporting the economy but also supporting the special qualities for which the Park was designated. It is about supporting the continued sustainable development of the individual communities of the Park as well as the networks, infrastructure and services that connect them to each other and to other places.
Supporters: