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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