Fury over size of Cairngorms park

The Cairngorms, one of the last great wildernesses in Europe, are finally to become a national park, and campaigners should be rejoicing. Instead, they are furious at proposed boundaries which slice mountains in half and cover only a portion of this area of raw natural beauty.

Those angered by the unexpectedly small size of the new park, which comes into effect in March, say its map was drawn up along political rather than environmental lines, to please Highland MSPs.

That means half a remote summit such as Sgarsoch will be under national protection and half left vulnerable to exploitation.

Environmental and statutory conservation groups also say the Scottish Executive has ignored calls for the new park to be given full planning powers.

The Cairngorms include five summits above 4,000ft, remnants of old Caledonian pine woods, birch woodland, marshes, meandering rivers and remote glens.

The region is home to scarce plants, insects, birds and mammals. Instead of encircling and fully covering the wildest Cairngorms mountains, the new park will cut across mountain spines, from Grantown-on-Spey in the north to Dalwhinnie in the west, and east along the border between Grampian and Perthshire to Aboyne.

"It is utterly scandalous," said Bill Wright of the Cairngorms Campaign. "The green credentials of the Scottish Executive are in tatters. This was supposed to be one of the largest parks in Europe, indeed outside the Arctic Circle."

The Scottish Executive ignored its environmental advisory body, Scottish Natural Heritage, which recommended the park cover 1,775sq miles. Instead, the executive argues its new boundaries, enclosing 1,440sq miles, will guarantee "good governance".