Protesters will be "engaged with" after controversial Cairngorms plans

The Cairngorms National Park Authority's (CNPA) partnership plan been met with widespread protests organised by the Grampian Moorland Group.

The proposals include 35,000 hectares of new forestry, despite the area already boasting a quarter of Scotland's native forests.

"We are protesting because the draft plan will make game businesses economically unviable, leading to job losses in the Park,” said gamekeeper, Leslie George, of Grampian Moorland Group.

“We don’t feel the park is working for the people of the land any more. Game and farming sectors are being singled out.”

George added: “The Plan favours re-wilding but no assessment has been done on how re-wilding will support red-listed or declining species such as curlew, mountain hares and capercaillie in the park.

"The plan says huge swathes should be planted in trees. What will that do to good farmland and food security? What does it mean for farming jobs in the area?"

However, Colin McLean, Head of Land Management at Cairngorms National Park, said that revisions can still be made, saying they need to speak with protesters before the plan is submitted to the Government.

"I think we certainly need to engage with this sector and with the gamekeepers better than we're doing at the moment.

"We need to sit down with them and and and really try and flush out these concerns and that may well lead to revisions", added McLean.

"There is a lot of uncertainty for for the gamekeeping community and I totally understand their concerns and we do need to find ways of addressing them the best effect.

"The draft has already been revised and we will keep on making revisions as necessary before it's signed off by the board in June."

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