Cairngorms 2030

Key to the delivery of this Partnership Plan is our Cairngorms 2030 programme, which is empowering people who live, visit and work in the National Park to tackle the nature and climate crises. Watch a short video about the programme, narrated by local resident Lucy Gordon, below.

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Dùthchas

It is easy to feel powerless in the face of a global climate emergency and nature crisis. But we believe it doesn’t have to be this way. Inspired by the Gaelic word Dùthchas – meaning the deep-rooted connection between people and nature – Cairngorms 2030 is putting the power to tackle the climate and nature crises in the hands of people who live, visit and work in the UK’s largest national park.

Across 24 long-term projects, Cairngorms 2030 will bring about transformational change in the Cairngorms, benefiting people’s health and wellbeing, delivering on climate change and enhancing nature across the National Park. The programme is on a larger scale than anything previously attempted in the UK, and aims to inspire rural and urban communities throughout Scotland and beyond to take action and make a difference.

Cairngorms 2030 is an unprecedented partnership of over 45 organisations and is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to the National Lottery players.

Discover more about the individual projects here

Putting local people at the heart of decision-making and giving them more say in future funding decisions.

Working with communities and partners to improve public transport and active travel connections across the National Park.

Working with land managers to explore new ways of managing land, as well as restoring and enhancing large areas of peatland and woodland.

Developing an economy that benefits people and nature, and providing green solutions to public health priorities including Covid-19 recovery, social isolation and dementia.

We need your views

Your opinion matters to us and we want to hear from you in order to help us shape these projects. Have your say by clicking on the button below which will take you to our Cairngorms 2030 consultation website.
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Projects

Increasing awareness and deepening understanding of the climate emergency and its relevance to residents, communities, landowners and businesses in the National Park.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1.

Putting the voices of young people at the heart of decision-making in the National Park, empowering and inspiring our young people and educators to take forward pro-environmental behaviours and activity.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, B1, B7, B10 and B11.

Bringing together the National Park’s creative sector and communities to identify and develop activities that create a greater connection to our landscapes and foster a sense of place.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: B8, C10.

Helping achieve our net zero and wellbeing economy targets by giving communities the power to define, design, fund and deliver projects that matter most to them.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A14, B2, B5, B6, B7, B10, C3, C4 and C10.

Shaping the way we engage with people in the National Park, ensuring individuals and communities feel empowered, want to contribute and have the resources to effect real change.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: B5, B6, B7 and B10.

Developing active travel infrastructure to make it easy, safe and enjoyable for residents and visitors to walk, cycle or get around using a wheelchair. This is split into four projects focused on Aviemore, Badenoch and Strathspey, Ballater and Braemar, and Blair Atholl and Killiecrankie.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, B7, B9, B10, C4, C5, C6, C7 and C9.

Developing a Cairngorms-wide active travel network that integrates with public transport, helping reduce private car use and encourage residents and visitors to travel more actively in the National Park.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, B7, B9, B10, C4, C5, C6, C7 and C9.

Reducing personal car use by visitors and residents through an accessible network of e-bikes, and engaging and inspiring people to use e-bikes as a regular mode of transport.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, B7, B9, B10, C4, C5, C6, C7, C8 and C9.

Designing a new sustainable model of transport in the Cairngorms’ busiest visitor hotspot to reduce reliance on private vehicles, in turn reducing carbon emissions from transport in the National Park.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, B7, B9, B10, C4, C5, C6, C7, C8 and C9.

Focusing on Deeside, Angus and Highland Perthshire, we will make to easy to get around without a private car by improving sustainable transport options in the National Park.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, B7, B9, B10, C4, C5, C6, C7 and C9.

Working with six pilot farms in the National Park to demonstrate how a transition to net zero (or even carbon negative) farming can be delivered practically and profitably in the Cairngorms.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, A8, A10 and B4.

Increasing climate change resilience to reduce the risk of flooding in the National Park and ensure that rivers continue to deliver for the people and wildlife that depend upon them.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, A2, A3, A8, A9, A11 and A14.

Working with six pilot farms in the National Park to demonstrate how a transition to net zero (or even carbon negative) farming can be delivered practically and profitably in the Cairngorms.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, A8, A10 and B4.

Engaging a broad range of people involved in deer management to develop strategic land use plans that will support land managers through the economic and environmental changes associated with reducing deer numbers, and mitigating the impact of deer on the environment.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, A2, A3, A4, A11 and B4.

Blending public and private finance to deliver our net zero and biodiversity targets, whilst also providing long-term benefits for land managers, investors and communities.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, A2, A3, A5, A8, A13, A11 and A14.

Exploring how communities perceive, experience and value the landscapes of the National Park, identifying special landscape qualities and establishing community preferences for landscape change.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, A10, A12, B2, B5, B7, B11, C9 and C10.

Repairing around 3,500 ha of damaged peatland over a five-year period, storing CO2 and delivering significant ecological benefits through restoration.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, A3, A5, A10, A11, A13 and A14.

Helping all those who have a stake in land management and land use understand their rights and responsibilities and learn how they can get involved in the work of Regional Land Use Partnerships.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A8, A9, A10, A11 and A14.

Helping absorb and store large amounts of CO2 by increasing woodland cover in the National Park by 1,000 ha over the next five years.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, A2, A10, A11, A13 and A14.

Creating the country’s first outdoor resource centre specifically designed to support people living with dementia, their families and carers, enabling enjoyment and exploration of the outdoor environment.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, B2, B3 and B9.

Working with NHS Highland and partners in a range of sectors to deliver a unique public health programme focused on improving health and wellbeing through access to nature and the outdoors.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, B2, B9 and B10.

 improving health and wellbeing through access to nature and the outdoors.

Relevant partnership plan objectives: A1, B2, B9 and B10.