The significance of the designation lies in the fact that debate over National Parks in Scotland goes back 50 years. Although a native Scot, Muir lived his adult life in North America and was hugely instrumental in the founding principle of wilderness areas being protected for their wealth of natural treasures. Yellowstone, Yosemite and others bear testament to his passion.

The Cairngorms is Britain’s largest National Park and that which most readily lends itself to the Muir wilderness concept, something that he insisted we all needed. Our tiny crowded island has lost all of its true wilderness along with essential components in the ecological jigsaw: wolves, bears, lynx, boar and others. In its place, there is wild land-shaped and influenced by man’s activities but not entirely tamed. The Cairngorms remains the closest embodiment of Muir’s vision of a century ago.

The National Park Authority has inherited the difficult task of reconciling an already eclectic mix of land use interests along with a legislative obligation to protect and enhance the natural integrity of the area. At the same time, they must encourage sustainable rural development. Most would agree this is not easy; some might argue that these two aims are diametrically opposed.

The Cairngorms National Park covers an area bordered by Grantown in the north, Dalwhinnie in the south , stretching eastwards across the massif to Aboyne. This mosaic of forest, wetland, moorland and sub-artic mountain plateau is one of the most diverse and ecologically rich areas in the British Isles. The geo-morphological forces that shaped this landscape

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