Cairngorms Connect is a partnership of neighbouring land managers, committed to a bold and ambitious 200-year vision to enhance habitats, species and ecological processes across a vast area within the Cairngorms National Park.
In this post, Martha Smart from Bioregioning Tayside spoke to Tors Hamilton to find out more about their story.
Martha
Hello Tors thank you for being here! Please tell me a wee bit about yourself and Cairngorms Connect?
Tors
The story of Cairngorms Connect starts with a memorandum of understanding which was put together in 2016 and which brought together four different land managers in the Cairngorms. Within the Cairngorms as in other areas, different land managers are brought together for meetings on different things, like deer management or regarding the National Park. Through those types of discussions land managers in this area from the RSPB [Royal Society for the Protection of Birds], Wild Land Limited, The Forestry Commission, and Scottish Natural Heritage (some of those names have changed now) realised they were working towards broadly similar aims in what they were trying to achieve within their own land holdings. That included things like trying to improve habitats, reduce deer numbers, and expand forest mostly through natural regeneration. Each organisation was working towards these aims largely through their own means and it was a recognition that by working together they could share knowledge, skills, and expertise.
By coming together there are also further opportunities in things like applying for funding. I suppose more importantly though the land holdings neighbour each other, so what they were actually doing was being cohesive with a continuous piece of land. An interesting report called the Lawton report from the early 2000s, which predominantly looked at nature reserves in England found that by ring fencing areas for nature we were not only creating boundaries that nature does not adhere to but equally we’re allocating these spaces which for the most part are just far too small. So, by working cohesively together you’ve then got contiguous land which different species can move between as they need. The Cairngorms Connect project area with those four partners coming together is around 60,000 hectares, it has a range and altitude going from about 200 meters above sea level right through to the summit of Ben MacDui which is around 1300 meters. Overall then there is a massive range in altitude which is great for different species and a vast array of habitats as well. Going from some of the biggest fragments of ancient Caledonian pinewood through to some really astounding bog woodlands and blanket peat bog, as well as Insh Marshes which is part of the project area and is sometimes written to be the least modified floodplain in Northern Europe. It is home to an impressive array of habitats, there’s currently around 5,000 species, of which 20% are listed as rare or nationally scarce, making it a very important area for biodiversity. So, as I said by coming together the partners are then able to share knowledge and resources, in 2018 they applied for funding through the Endangered Landscapes Programme which was awarded at the end of 2018. What that funding allows the partnership to do is put in some dedicated staff to work across the partnership, to progress and accelerate some of the plans for habitat restoration.
Going through those objectives the partners identified what they shared and to what level but within that they still act independently as their own organisations. Together they put those shared objectives into a vision for the land and for the habitats which is a 200-year vision in recognition that expanding the woodland is going to take at least 200 years to what should or could be its natural limits within this environment. In the scale up of the work and in the area that we’re covering a few decades could be seen as intensive in terms of repairing and helping systems to the tipping point where natural processes then take over. Along with that restoration work there is scientific and monitoring work going on. That includes monitoring the impacts of the work and what happens before, during, and after, but also testing different methods of work to help inform practices within the partnership and externally. So, not only are we doing a lot of restoration work we’re also doing the scientific research to look at what impact that work has, I really enjoy that part.
Then the other part the project is people, we’re doing more work engaging people with the project, letting people know about it and what’s going on, but then also working towards people informing and being part of some of the decisions. While there’s a 200-year vision for the land we’re working towards having a people’s vision too, on a more “people-based” timescale of around 60 years. It’s all very interesting and I’m part of the dedicated staff that were put in place with the funding that we have for five years to accelerate some of that work. Even without the funding work would still be going on by the partners but it has allowed for additional staff to facilitate other areas.
Martha
What a feat! What a project! How did it really get off the ground? What do you think was the catalyst to saying, “let’s get together and work on this”?
Tors
It really was the four land managers working in that area coming together in recognition that they were all aiming to do the same things. If you look back it wasn’t that work started on this in 2016 when we had the memorandum of understanding, the RSPB have had the land at Insh Marshes I think since the 1980s and Abernethy since the 1970s. What is now NatureScot have had Invereshie & Inshriach for a long number of years, there’s photos going right back showing changes to the land. It is the same at Glenmore with what is now Forestry and Land Scotland and with Wild Land Limited who came in the early 2000s. I think what partly catalyzed things in 2016 was that Forestry and Land Scotland purchased an area of woodland at Rothiemurchus and that area actually formed the link between all of the land, allowing for that connection all the way through.
Martha
There is obviously a whole wealth of different skills and knowledge in this project, can you talk about how you bring that all together?
Tors
We have different groups of people that come together and meet over different topics. All of the land is within the National Park, so we have the Cairngorms National Park authority as a supporting partner and a member of their staff sits on our board. Then within elements of the work we also have other supporting partners who are contributing and together we’re drawing on their different skills. For example, we’ve got a science working group which brings together different members within each of the partners. Working across the partnership we also have a project scientist and a monitoring officer who are part of that group. Additional staff will feed into that on particular topics, for example we have a member of staff at NatureScot who is an economist and feeds in on one of the indicators. One of the things that we look at is economics and how the project and the area can act as a multiplier for other businesses. We’ve got contracts we put out for work and we want to know – what impact does that have within the local community? And with jobs for example, so we look at that and collect evidence which is then analysed and feeds into the work. Some of the science work going on is focused on things like river catchments, how they change or how we study them, and what data loggers we put in and where, so we have an environmental consultant too who feeds into that. We also work with places like Dundee University who have been doing an ongoing long-term research project on one of the rivers within the catchment so they will feed in and it also helps to inform what potential research could happen into the future. So that’s drawing on information from outside as well as bringing together people within the partnership to talk and share.
Martha
The benefits of what you are doing must just be so massive!
Tors
They are and there’s different skill sets within the different organizations. For example, there are staff in the RSPB skilled in using drones to create maps or to look at areas which were perhaps forested in the past but were originally peat bogs or past river channels. There are all sorts of stuff that can be created now and that’s a skill set which was there but we’ve managed to share and apply that information over the partners land and to progress work by looking at things more holistically. It’s that crucial element of being able to work cohesively and share those skills. They are different partners though so at points they will still work independently and use their own methods, but they share what works and doesn’t work so that helps inform practices. In terms of how woodlands are expanding it can vary across the partners because they’re using slightly different methods but they’re sharing what that is and whether it has been effective or not.
Martha
I’m interested in what your background is and how you got involved?
Tors
I was brought into the team in 2019 and my background is in environmental education. I had trained and worked as a teacher in geography and biology then worked for an environmental education charity for a long time taking students, adults, and tiny little kids out into the environment to explore. We did things like field work for schools, environmental education activities, and some specialist courses on equipment monitoring. That was my background coming into this and I’m now working on engagement, getting people interested and knowledgeable about this project and taking groups outside for different activities though that has been difficult with Covid.
Martha
How would you describe your relationship to the natural landscape within the Cairngorms Connect area? Maybe there’s a part you love best?
Tors
It is really hard to pick a favorite, it is so vast that you will always find new favorite points. I think what I love best is that there’s always something new to discover or to find.
“I am constantly amazed by the variety of knowledge and expertise of those around. It is so different person to person, what they know, their knowledge of the species habitats, and of all the different things going on. I’ve always loved being outside but there is something very special in those habitats and it sounds strange, but they really feel like they’re starting to work.”
At heart I suppose I am a geographer, I spent time out in Canada and in Norway witnessing people working with natural processes rather than trying to stop or prevent them. Though that does have to happen in some places don’t get me wrong, I think for a lot of places within the UK we don’t quite have that ‘working with’ ethos and in places where we think we do actually quite often they are not the natural processes that should be happening.
With some parts of the land here there has been less interference in the past but in others you can really see the change. What I find interesting is that we’re starting to see people who have visited the area and people who live here picking up on those changes. A lot of our work, not all of it, but a lot is focused on woodland regeneration and that is a long-term process but it’s really interesting to see people starting to notice it. I have certainly noticed over the last year different people posting really positive comparison photos online like “wow, this is really changing! What’s it going to look like in another 10 or 20 years?”. With regeneration as a whole it takes time to notice change but people are starting to see the difference. With river systems the change is much quicker, some of it can happen overnight especially when we get a lot of water. Some of the peatland repair work is also quick but a lot of the areas we’re doing that in are remote and while people might notice machinery going in and out, they might actually only visit it once or twice in their lifetime and won’t necessarily pick up the differences. We’ve been doing ongoing work looking at people’s perceptions of habitat restoration and I find it interesting chatting to people about what they see as being healthy peatlands. When we looked at photos of exposed peat for example a lot of people recognised that as how peat normally looks but actually, though there are some exposed peatland areas, in general that isn’t good, peat should be covered in things like sphagnum moss! But that element of knowledge just isn’t there a lot of the time so I do wonder if people can really recognise degraded landscapes or not.
Martha
This seems like a slightly obvious question but alongside Covid-19 we are also having to deal with the climate and biodiversity crisis, how much does that inform the work that Cairngorms Connect does?
Tors
Covid has had an impact in different ways. Last year work just stopped, some things did restart and we’re extremely lucky because of the area we work in, the type of outdoor remote work being undertaken meant some things could continue. We have still been working on peatland restoration and we’ve had a fair bit of woodland restructuring and different things going on pretty much since September. Some of the scientific work has had to change slightly because of when the monitoring seasons could start and stop. Also, for some of the monitoring we camp which we could no longer do. There were plans to undertake some comparison scientific work in Norway last summer, I think it’s highly unlikely that will happen this year but there is still time to do it when we can. Overall, it has had an impact, it has changed things like communications, different activities just haven’t been able to take place, our work with schools for example has really been affected. On the other hand, Covid-19 has made people look at the environment in a different way, it’s allowed some local people to enjoy their own patch and for some of our staff to actually chat with people who are local and make those connections which can only be seen as a good thing. There is also the fact that the Cairngorms had a lot of people visit last summer, particularly around our project area, which in some ways is fantastic that people are coming out and seeing it I think it’s just being consistent, not even just within the project but within the whole area. The National Park did work hard on this to make sure there was consistent support and messaging for more responsible behavior and access. Just like other parts of the country Cairngorms had its instances of irresponsible behavior. I think there is an element of expectation that this summer again we will see an increase and there must be an emphasis on being responsible within the environment and helping people to make those responsible decisions. There was a lot of local people speaking out about irresponsible behavior which to me shows a strong community feeling to protect this place.
Martha
Yes, that must be so important because one wrong move could be catastrophic. Thinking about the climate and biodiversity crisis then how does that inform the work that Cairngorms Connect does? Can you see tangible changes in the environment?
Tors
I would say yes you can see it tangibly in the environment. I think it’s easier for some people to see it than others. There are a number of people who’ve been working in the area for a long time, they really see it. I’m not sure if in Scotland we realise how lucky we are at the moment. From what I read and understand we will see the impacts of climate change however those impacts will be muted, especially when compared to other parts of the world. I don’t think that means we should be complacent though. We have been doing some engagement with local communities over part of the river catchment and a very real concern about climate change and future flooding was expressed, especially because they had seen significant and unexpected flooding in recent years. The 2015 storms came out quite a few times, that is very recent in people’s memories and really shapes how they think about their lives in the future.
Within the greater scheme of things some of the species’ changes are more remote. As I said before 20% of the species within the area are nationally rare and some of our work includes things like translocations of species into new areas. We also work with different organizations like Plant Life and others but we’re still learning about what works and what will potentially make a difference. We have a tree nursery where we are growing on cuttings and seedlings of species like montane willow. We now have a seed orchard as well because there are such isolated populations high up in the Cairngorms some are no longer producing seeds or are able to reproduce new genetic individuals because they can’t cross pollinate. There are so few of them that it also means the genetic pool is much smaller and for some of the species we are having to look at how many are potentially there and whether it is a viable population or not. We do have enough individuals for some species to make it viable and there will be planting out schemes for that but with changing climates we don’t know what that may mean for those species or how it might push them, especially for some of the sub-arctic species upon the plateau. I have all sorts of papers come across my desk and in 2019 there was a snow report commissioned by the Scottish Government, James Hutton and the National Park were also involved, looking at snow and snow patches into the future, where they might be and all the species that rely on them and for whom it will be increasingly difficult to survive.
Martha
The project at the core then is really about enhancing these precious habitats and the ecological processes they rely on?
Tors
Yes, it’s about enhancing habitats and getting them in good healthy states so that species will have the space they need to move, populate, survive and flourish. With fragmented and spilt habitats you can have local extinctions, small areas where species die out and are unable to be repopulated from elsewhere because those links through the landscape simply are not there. It’s improving the health of those habitats and improving those links. I suppose part of it is also understanding that several species depend on a mosaic of habitats, we associate species sometimes with one particular habitat rather than understanding that there may be multiple habitats and food chains that depend on one another. I know conservation as a whole has moved away from that single species focus it perhaps had a few decades ago, I’m not sure there’s quite the love for invertebrates yet though. When you think of the species that depend on invertebrates and the work that they do in recycling material and nutrients there’s so much more to understand.
Martha
Do you think there’s a unified view on what the top priorities are that everyone should be focusing on in order to overcome the climate and environmental crisis?
Tors
I think it is a hard one. We’re not saying to everybody this is the way it should be done, we’ve got research and different things going on but we’re not going to comment on what other land managements are doing. I think everybody’s priorities are slightly different and priorities will and should be different depending on the landscape and the land that you’re working with. Within Cairngorms Connect and between our partners we have our overall priorities but those will be slightly different because of the composition of what habitats are there and what actually needs to be undertaken next. I also think priorities can change very quickly due to circumstances, we seen that with Covid. To give you an example, what could become a huge issue in the UK due to climate change are things like invasive species. As climates change our biosecurity will need to change to cope with different diseases, we have seen that with oak processionary moth and ash disease, diseases from different insects coming in are huge potential threats to our native species. One of our priorities is looking at non-native species removal and in particular species like lodgepole pine, the reason for that focus is because it is susceptible to dothistroma needle blight that could potentially pass to the native Scots pine. These removals are necessary to build that security for the future of native species. If we can expand and create healthy habitats when disease occurs then, working on those biology principles, hopefully you will either have refuges or you will have enough genetic diversity to create some resistance.
Martha
That fascinates me, you have sparked so much in my head! How on earth do you prioritise when you’re dealing with ecology and everything depends on everything else?
Tors
Well, I guess the answer to that would depend on who you’re speaking to. For me, I think some of it is about balance. Another element of our work has been making sure deer numbers are low, allowing natural processes to take over so the deer are not dominating. I think in different areas your priorities are identified by what the blocks are, the things that are potentially causing damage. Some of the peatland damage we’ve seen is caused by historically large numbers of deer traveling across areas, reducing those numbers allows you to do the necessary restoration work. It is the same for things like forest regeneration, with large numbers of deer the forest wasn’t capable of regenerating and by making them move through the area differently and reducing the numbers suddenly the trees can actually regenerate. Deer are still part of that system though and there’s an understanding that as the forest expands, as we have more trees, there’s more cover for the deer as well!
We currently have a predator project which you can read about on our website, it is part of a specialist science program looking at the interaction between the different predators within the area, how those different mesopredators and top predators interact with one another and with their prey. With habitats changing and improving we’ve had different predators return or increase in number from levels they were at historically and with that there were concerns voiced about how that would impact on different species. The aim of the study is to look at how those interactions are happening, what is going on, and who is eating who?! There are very few places in the UK, if any, that has this assemblage of species. There were some concerns that rarer species could be being predated so we are asking- are they being predated for example by the numbers of pine martens increasing? Are some birds now being predated that didn’t have that predation before? Or in actual fact are some of the pine martins actually being predated by some of the raptors that have come in? We are trying to gain that understanding of what’s happening within those systems to inform future work. That’s a really interesting area and I suppose it goes back to the point about balance, we don’t know what the balance is because we’ve not had this assemblage of species before, but we are doing the work to find out. It is getting that knowledge to know what should happen next. Every bit of research you do pulls out something you didn’t expect or new information to look at. It’s very complex systems and interactions that we’re observing but I think as humans we like to simplify things to make it easier for ourselves, that’s our nature I guess.
Martha
Before the pandemic I would go for walks with my friends who are total birders, the type that can tell you the name of birds just by hearing their calls. Every time they do, I am in awe of their knowledge and I always ask them a million questions, but it often seems we really don’t know very much about birds. I mean we know a heck of a lot and it’s amazing the advances in knowledge that we have gained from different studies, but it always fascinates me how much there is still to learn to unravel those extremely complex systems.
Tors
I think that understanding is what has moved a lot of people away from being species specific, realising that it takes time, it takes understanding, it takes studying, and you’re going to expose a whole load of other stuff while you do! Working with habitats you’re not just impacting one species, you’re impacting a whole assemblage. A lot of our work this winter was doing plantation restructuring. We’ve been looking at Scots pine plantation areas within the partnership and comparing them to European forests, finding that in comparison they are really lacking in dead wood and species variety. Even if you look at some ancient pinewood there is a mix of other species, like broadleaf species, juniper and birch, those are really missing on these plantations which are about 90% Scots Pine. So that habitat despite being native is really missing crucial elements that can make it better. So in restructuring what we’re actually doing is creating deadwood through various means, pulling over trees to expose root plates which make great dust baths, cutting off trees at different heights making posts which is good for different birds and insects, ring barking so you get standing deadwood opening up parts of the forest to allow light through and different vegetation of different sizes, creating areas for young saplings to come through, but also leaving that resource, that deadwood, for things like the deadwood beetles that recycle it or for the birds to make holes in. It is recognising those elements that aren’t quite there and how we can start to address that and enhance habitats not just for one species but multiple.
Martha
My knowledge is very limited but I have picked up on my clever nature friends debating over whether to leave nature completely alone because it was our interference which caused the damage in the first place, and the other side who says it precisely because of the damage we have done that we now need to try to undo it. Then of course we are also now seeing the whole rewilding concept really gain tract. How do you balance when to act and when not to act?
Tors
We are working towards what some people would term a tipping point, where natural processes take over and predominate. Past that point the hope is that you will only doing little bits here and there. That is where research and monitoring really plays its part. The scientific research that’s been done has given us the information that actually the plantations we have are 90% Scots pine compared to the ancient Caledonian woodlands which are more like 70% and have this specific assemblage of species. Those pinewoods then are not what we would deem to be natural and optimum and that knowledge changes how we the work towards restoration and how we achieve that balance. In terms of how we know when we’ve done enough or gone far enough, that’s through monitoring. For the work I was talking about within restructuring for example, what we’re doing at the same time is sampling the dead wood beetle species within different woodlands. So actually, monitoring numbers and species of beetles to see those changes, to see when they’re starting to look more similar to semi natural woodlands, which starts to give you that indication of where we are in that balance. A lot of our work is promoting natural regeneration but in the next few months there are going to be some folk out doing planting. That planting will be limited and will be of specific species that have been identified as missing, species that have been lost in time through plantations. By planting these pockets of birch, aspen, or eared willow and as natural regeneration happens those seed sources will be there. Without the planting the distribution of those species wouldn’t be what it potentially should be. I understand your friends debate of “what is natural?”, it is a debate that rages across the conservation spectrum, leave things or don’t leave things. It’s a debate think it’s going to go on for a long time yet and I understand both sides. I think we’re trying to use science and monitoring to lead the work. Nothing happens without a lot of discussion and input from different people and organisations.
Martha
You have spoken already about the epic 200-year vision that Cairngorms Connect has which as you also said is difficult for humans to connect with, it requires that the beacon be passed on if you like and that the plans you make now are passed on to a time in which the architects are no longer here. I’m interested in this concept of time and how working with different ecologies really requires a different way of looking at time. Do you have any thoughts on that?
Tors
Yes, I think 200 years is hard for most people to grasp and to really engage with the fact that you’re not going to see it in your lifetime, or your kids lifetime, or even grandkids lifetime. We have this 200 year for the forest to expand to its natural limit where systems are acting naturally, and people are living sustainably within that environment. But within that vision we split it down into what we expect to achieve in 100 years, 25 years, 10 years. For the people working in Cairngorms Connect and for the project to work we need to have a plan, so actually for the here and now that breaks down into our five-year plan. So though that 200-year vision seems abstract I think it’s working your way back to how do we get there? For some people, that is easier to do. If you speak and work with foresters they’re planting and planning for 60 years’ time, for the next person in their job to harvest. That is alien to a lot of us, but for a forester that’s your day-to-day job.
Martha
Absolutely! I would love to speak to some foresters about that! Who are Cairngorms Connect drawing inspiration from? Are there similar projects showing great leadership in this area? I read that you are one of the biggest habitat restoration projects in Britain, so perhaps you are the leaders!
Tors
Oh, that is a good question! There are partnerships that are bigger than us but they’re not targeting habitat restoration. So currently as far as we’re aware, we’re the biggest project working on habitat restoration and working together to do that. I think it’s about talking to lots of different people and it’s not always big, there are a lot of projects doing different things in different ways. We chat to and are aware of a number of those projects and some of them will come and talk to us. For example, there’s a partnership in the Haweswater area who have been trying to bring owners together to work on habitat restoration. I know that John Muir Trust and Scottish Wildlife Trust with quite a number of others in between have set up the Heart of Scotland project. In a similar manner to us though on a slightly smaller scale they are trying to link up to get that green corridor type landscape. We spoke with a project in Ireland, Lough Neagh I think it’s called, we were really interested in how the community were helping to drive their plans. There was a very interesting talk I attended recently by American Prairie Reserve, they’re trying to piece together land to from a corridor on the prairies recognising there is no national park which covers them. That would provide wolf and elk space to move so they’re also dealing with predators which is interesting for us. There’s quite a number of projects in Europe we’ve been linked with through the Endangered Landscapes Programme.
Martha
I also have a question about the networks the project is part of and if you think there is opportunity for even cooperation between different stakeholders? For example, we have spoken about river catchments, you can do work on one part of the river but bringing that all together requires a lot more people being involved doesn’t it? I’ve also read that your project is about 10% of the Cairngorms National Park land, is that right? How do those wider networks work?
Tors
I think it’s actually 13%. We have a good relationship to the National Park, like I said we’ve got a member on our board and we help them with a lot of their strategic aims and targets in terms of what they want to achieve across the park as a whole. I think Covid has impacted us because we wanted to have more opportunities for people to come and see what we’re doing. Certainly, there have been neighbors who had come to visit pre-Covid to see some things that are going on. I think having that dialogue and sharing is important. There’s always going to be critics and different relationships with different people around. We have a lot of supporting partners and strengthening elements, even partners within our partnership working on other projects coordinate. A good example is the Wildcats Project, members of our partnership are involved in that and some of the areas they are looking at for release encompass our patches so that requires cross-partnership working.
Martha
How do you make sure that your work is getting out to other people who are trying the same things, so people aren’t repeating the same mistakes? In turn ensuring that the whole network works as best it can?
Tors
As part of some of our agreements any published papers will be open sourced and available on our website. At this point we’ve got several papers in progress and are still doing research which we will be trying to get out there and share. For example, in June the Society of Ecological Restoration have got their world conference and we’re going to do a virtual field trip as part of that talking about our research in the woodlands. We also take part in things like the Chartered Institute of Environmental Managers, we spoke at their conference last year. One of our board members also spoke at the Reforesting Scotland conference, so we are trying to share and connect with the wider community as much as possible.
Martha
In your journey working with Cairngorms Connect is there a particular moment or a memory which really meant something to you or sparked something that stays with you? Perhaps it energized you in some way or made you realise the value and importance of the project?
Tors
Oh, I get energized by a whole load of stuff but there is something for me about the tree nursery. I think it’s a mixture of two things, one is the dedication of the staff and volunteers to keeping these tiny seedlings alive, replanting them and caring for them in all weather, storms and snow.
Martha
Protect the seedlings at all costs!
Tors
Ha-ha! Exactly, at all costs!
“There is a whole journey for those seeds. People have trekked out on the hill, making sure to get the right time of year to get catkins from these trees which haven’t got any seedlings, to bring them back to plant in the tree nursery, to make sure they don’t get weeded out, and to care for them as they grow. To be able to see some of them starting to get planted back out and witness those species continuing with our help is really something”.
Without doing that work I’m not sure that some of them would persist and survive. Yes, it is a process, and yes it’s hard work, but that mix of the dedication of the people involved and seeing that difference happening is very special.
Find out more about Cairngorms Connect via this link here.