Performance Committee - December 2025

This document contains the agenda for the Cairngorms National Park Authority Performance Committee meeting on 12 December 2025 at 9.30am in Grantown-on-Spey. The meeting will be hybrid and includes items such as welcome and apologies, approval of minutes from previous meetings, declarations of interest, and other arising matters. The agenda also includes a discussion on the Performance Committee 2026 Annual Agenda, the Cairngorms 2030 programme update for quarter three 2025, and the "Bringing Beavers Back" project. The Cairngorms Nature Action Plan will be presented for information. The next meeting is scheduled for 3 April 2027.

This document contains the draft minutes of the Performance Committee meeting held on 12 September 2025 at the Cairngorms National Park Authority office. The meeting covered approval of previous minutes, matters arising, and declarations of interest. A key focus was the Cairngorms Peatland Action Programme, where the committee discussed progress, funding, and the evaluation of its impact on society and greenhouse gas emissions. The Performance Committee also reviewed its annual report, agreeing to its recommendations, and noted that the next meeting would be held on 12 December 2025.

This document contains the Performance Committee 2026 Annual Agenda for the Cairngorms National Park Authority. The committee's role is to ensure that projects and programs are delivered in line with the Park Authority's strategic goals and to identify any new strategic risks. The agenda includes meetings scheduled for April, June, September, and December 2026, with topics like Deer Incentive Scheme, Cairngorms 2030 Specific Theme Review, Peatland Action, Communications, Climate Adaptation Fund, Website, Beaver Update, and Outdoor Access. The document also outlines the committee's membership, staff attendance, external attendance and specific responsibilities, such as monitoring project performance and ensuring the Authority achieves the best value in resource deployment, and the committee is permanent, with a review of its remit annually.

This document contains an update on the Cairngorms 2030 (C2030) programme for the third quarter of 2025 (July to September). Prepared by David Clyne, Head of Cairngorms 2030, the paper looks at the programme's status and risk management, using project reports from April to June 2025. The Cairngorms National Park Authority (Park Authority) was awarded £12.5 million by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) to deliver C2030 and become the UK's first net zero National Park. The report highlights progress in various projects, including restoring landscapes, expanding woodlands, and promoting sustainable transport. It also looks at the challenges and risks involved, plus volunteer activity and future communication plans.

This document contains the latest updates on the Bringing Beavers Back project in the Cairngorms National Park. The Cairngorms National Park Authority is asking the Performance Committee to review these updates, which show good progress in line with the project's goals and budget. The project aims to establish a healthy beaver population in the park, which will benefit both wildlife and people. So far, the project has raised awareness about beavers, released beaver families into the Upper Spey catchment, and supported a mitigation scheme for land managers. The Cairngorms National Park Authority is managing any risks through staffing, a monitoring plan, and groups that support stakeholders like farmers.

This document contains an update on the development of the next Cairngorms Nature Action Plan, one of four main strategies that help deliver the National Park Partnership Plan (NPPP). The Cairngorms Nature Action Plan is an overarching framework that brings together the Cairngorms Nature Index and the Cairngorms Nature Networks. The board is asked to note the revised timeline for production, the action plan structure and the example of approach with freshwater chapter. The Action Plan will include a set of principles for community benefits, incorporating community wealth-building approaches such as skills development, education and job creation. A draft structure has been developed for the Nature Action Plan, a draft vision and a template chapter focused initially on freshwater ecosystems using the draft Cairngorms Nature Index and Cairngorms Nature Networks to identify priority actions. The Cairngorms Nature Action Plan 2027 – 2032, representing clear actions to deliver, and report on, NPPP objectives, will be published with the support of a wide range of stakeholders in March 2027.