Features
Cairn Gorm
Cathy Mordaunt, Ecologist at Cairn Gorm, explains the changes in management and environmental commitment at CairnGorm Mountain Ltd. within the context of responsible behaviour
With the introduction of the Cairngorms National Park, the core mountains of the Cairngorm massif now have an impressive list of environmental protection designed to ensure that the relatively pristine environment is not damaged any further by human activity. And not without good reason. The rise in mountaineering and skiing activity in Britain’s most wintry mountain range during the second half of the 20th Century led to a considerable amount of development and infrastructure, including the construction of the Cairn Gorm car park which, at 635m in Coire Cas, offers all recreation users relatively easy access to some of the best high mountain terrain in Scotland .
The Cairn Gorm Ski Area development involved the installation of a significant number of tows, tracks and snow fences. The two main Chairlifts were finally replaced with the largest, and perhaps most controversial uplift, the Cairn Gorm Funicular, in December 2001. The Ski Area has experienced considerable levels of disturbance and damage to the environment and a variety of academic papers and studies demonstrate the environmental record of this damage (for example, Watson and Moss, Biological Conservation, 2004). However, the falling number of skiing visitors (due to a combination of demographic change, the globalisation of winter sports tourism and climate change), coupled with changing attitudes towards environmental conservation has given rise to improvements in the natural heritage in the recent past.
The development of the car park at Cairn Gorm in 1960 gave unusually easy access to a high mountain area for a large number of people. Mountaineers, walkers, ski tourers and bird watchers were all able to benefit from the improved accessibility of the Northern Corries and Cairn Gorm plateau. The greater accessibility meant a much higher level of human passage along the path network and on more remote, trackless ground. This has led, through time, to considerable erosion to those areas most heavily frequented and with least protective vegetation cover, and potential for large-scale disturbance to the flora and fauna, in particular our rarest breeding mountain birds such as Dotterel and Snow Bunting.
Second World War mountain warfare exercises (the relics of which can still be seen as the stone bivvy shelters on the summit area of Ben MacDui) highlighted the arctic-alpine nature of the environment, primarily in terms of climate but also in terms of flora, fauna and landscape. Subsequent work by a number of authors, including the renowned ecologist Dr. Adam Watson, has developed this theme and the area is now internationally recognised for its natural environmental attributes. Not surprisingly, therefore, the area is also proposed as a World Heritage Site - the final crowning glory in terms of natural environmental protection.
With the passage of time both awareness and outlook change. We are far more sensitive to our impact on the environment, as the consequences of past actions manifest themselves in damage and loss. As the pressure on the remaining areas rises, so too does our perceived value of them rise. All who wish to continue to enjoy the relatively pristine environment that is the Cairn Gorm massif should be aware of how threatened that environment is, of how important it is to work hard to conserve what remains. That work will be hard enough without the divisions that still exist between the different interest groups, though perhaps new authorities like the Cairngorms National Park can make headway in bringing everyone to the same table. Suffice to say that it will require everyone to accept responsibility for the damage that they do and be prepared to exercise restraint and caution. There is no time left to be pointing fingers; better by far to join hands to work together.
Whatever your opinion of the Cairn Gorm Funicular, planning conditions agreed in advance have introduced a new system of access that is helping to reduce the amount of foot traffic on the Cairn Gorm plateau, in those areas specifically designated under European Law. This legislation provided the impetus for the new Closed System, and while it remains unpopular with some members of the public, the need to instigate some more restrictive measures at the Ptarmigan was largely understood. The sad truth is that most objectors only want to walk up or down within the Ski Area, or to the top of Cairn Gorm itself. None of this is necessarily controversial since it would involve well-constructed paths already in place. The few who would choose to ignore the change in access, in particular those who have been used to using the chairlift to access the plateau, necessitate the complete closure of the system.
The Closed System is only one of many changes that have taken place in and around the Cairn Gorm Ski Area. While still tarred by some with the environmental disaster brush, the landowner and Ski Area operators have recently made massive improvements to the protection of the natural environment. New opportunities within Coire Cas offer people an alternative from drifting off along the path to the more sensitive Northern Corries. A whole range of educational and interpretive material helps visitors to understand the fragile nature of the mountain environment and become more aware of how their actions can have adverse effects. Reseeding programmes, footpath remedial work and vegetation reinstatement continue to reduce the bare ground created by walkers, skiers and machinery while unnecessary infrastructure is now being removed. In addition, the impact of visitors on the environment is being monitored right across the plateau, thus helping to guide management decisions for the direct benefit of the natural environment.
As hillwalkers today live with the erosion legacy that is the result of the passage of feet in the past, so the Cairn Gorm Ski Area must live with the legacy of all that has gone before. By acknowledging that legacy and recruiting the right people with the right vision, it is possible to change direction and implement a policy of best environmental practice across the board. This process is one to be welcomed. By acting with responsibility for our own actions and judging them not from an historical perspective but for what they actually are, we should all be able to enjoy our natural heritage, in its natural state, for generations to come.
If we are all clever and exercise restraint in the way in which we use this precious resource, we should see real improvements. Who knows? One day we might even achieve regeneration of native vegetation on the damaged western approach from the plateau to Cairn Gorm. With the right amount of vision and drive, plus a willingness to engage with all parties for the benefit of all, these goals are achievable.