Across 20 long-term projects, Cairngorms 2030 will bring about transformational change in the Cairngorms, benefitting people’s health and wellbeing, delivering on climate change and enhancing nature across the National Park.
Volunteer Cairngorms supports and develops volunteering for nature, the environment and physical activity across the Cairngorms National Park. Start your volunteering journey here!
This document contains a summary of the Site Condition Monitoring (SCM) of freshwater pearl mussels in the River Dee from 2022 to 2023. The River Dee is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and home to the endangered freshwater pearl mussel. The monitoring survey, conducted by NatureScot and the Cairngorms National Park Authority, found a significant decline, around 90%, in the freshwater pearl mussel population since the last survey in 2002. This decline is largely attributed to Storm Frank in 2015, which caused habitat changes, although other climate change-related factors could also be contributing. The report recommends catchment-wide restoration efforts to address climate change impacts and help recover the freshwater pearl mussel population in the River Dee.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.