Debates

Campaigns - Debates

BSCG gave an interview to the BBC  for the Reporting Scotland news programme (see link for video) over the sudden Cairngorm Mountain Limited announcement about trial guided walks to the summit of Cairngorm. This was considered before the funicular got planning permission when it was considered impractical.

Passengers to go off the beaten track - Press and Journal

All change for the summit as Cairn Gorm passengers allowed to top - The Scotsman

Campaigns - Debates

Sunday Herrald article on An Camus Mor: Endangered bug highlights plight of national parks By Rob Edwards, Environment Editor, 20 Jun 2010.

© 2010 BSCG.  An Camas Mòr site. The green dwarf shrub in the forgeground is bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi  a constant in this heathland vegetation community that was  overlooked  in survey for the developer.

Campaigns - Debates

BSCG deplore  the  CNPA decision on Friday 11 June to give the go ahead to 1500 houses on Rothiemurchus estate within the Cairngorms National Scenic Area . We consider  this decision, that was for 400 more more houses even than   reccommended by the CNPA's own officials,  put the developer's interests  ahead  of the national interest of safeguarding Scotland's most precious countryside.

See articles in P & J and The Scotsman.

Photo: Lowland heath  at the ACM site.  This is a threatened habitat for which the UK has a special responsibility and is one of the outstanding wildlife habitats habitats that would be destroyed if the ACM proposals are ever given detailed permission (photo BSCG).

Campaigns - Debates

© 2010 BSCG, may be used for reporting purposes with copyright credited.

A rare weevil discovered by BSCG on the threatened An Camas Mòr site this month. Magdalis duplicata a beetle in the weevil family is associated with Caledonian pine. It is classed  as a Notable A.  The invertebrate survey for the developer includes no notable beetles. According to the National Biodiversity Network there are records from only four  10km squares in Scotland  with 3 of these in the Cairngorms area. The most recent Cairngorms area reports seem to be field observations from Mar lodge Estate in upper Deeside on 7 and 8 July in 2000.  In a 15 year study between 1979 and 1993 John Owen  recorded this beetle in 4 km squares in Abernethy Forest.

Campaigns - Debates

The springtail Entomobrya nivalis photographed on the threatened ACM site. According to the National Biodiversity Network there are no previous records for this springtail in Badenoch and Strathspey. The only previous record for the Cairngorms area in Tayside  dates back to 1901. No springtails were recorded in the 2008 invertebrate survey for the developer.

© 2010 BSCG, may be used for reporting purposes with copyright credited.

Campaigns - Debates

A recent photo of the slender groundhopper /Tetrix subulata/ at its newly discovered Scottish stronghold on lowland heath at the threatened An Camas Mòr site in Strathspey.  BSCG is grateful to Buglife (the Invertebrate Conservation Trust ) and the UK Orthopteran recording scheme  for assistance with identification of this find.  So far this year this species has only been recorded on the ACM site in Strathspey but the first find was at Boat of Garten in 2008 and finds now considered to be this species have also been made since then at the Mossie Grantown -on-Spey and at the threatened School Wood site in Nethybridge.

Copyright 2010 BSCG, may be used for reporting purposes with copyright credited.

See more at An Camas Mòr gallery.