Capercaillie Emergency Plan programme board meeting notes

This document contains the minutes from a Capercaillie Emergency Plan Programme Board meeting held on 16 December. The meeting discussed ongoing actions, noting that work supported by the Nature Restoration Fund is progressing and land managers are being contacted about removing fences near capercaillie breeding sites. As no contractor was appointed to help deliver the plan, the Park Authority is reorganising its internal work to manage this, preferring an in-house approach for better stakeholder relationships, and will review funding contributions. Board members generally supported the draft Research and Monitoring Plan, which will use capercaillie productivity data as a main indicator, while acknowledging that significant ecological changes might not be evident until after 2030. Finally, the meeting confirmed that the Capercaillie Reinforcement Feasibility Study is moving forward, with Deeside identified as the priority area for detailed assessment in its second phase.