Cairngorms Rare Plants and Wild Connections

The second year of the four-year Rare Plants and Wild Connections Project saw the coming together of mountain enthusiasts and cutting-edge science for the first time to help save rare mountain ecosystems.

Utilising new DNA sequencing technology, Plantlife, volunteers and researchers at the James Hutton Institute were able to uncover the hidden biodiversity that lies beneath the surface of the Munros of the Cairngorms National Park; discovering fungi and what they can tell us about the changing mountain environment.

At a lower altitude, Plantlife set about creating new roots for two rare wildflower species amongst Scotland’s pinewoods with the help of the local community. The first steps were taken in working to establish five new populations of Twinflower in the park to address challenges with habitat fragmentation, and monitor One-flowered Wintergreen to assess the feasibility of introducing the species to two new sites.

The year also saw the launch of the Mob Grazing for Diversity Initiative, the first project of its kind in any national park in the UK working with farmers and volunteers to enable natural meadow regeneration through adaptations in grazing management. Alongside the Nature Friendly Farming Network, Pasture for Life and Cairngorms National Park Authority, Plantlife was able to deliver training events to support farmers on their first steps to increasing plant diversity.

The Rare Plants and Wild Connections project runs until March 2024, and is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Cairngorms National Park Authority with support from NatureScot. Through this project, Plantlife is working with land managers, local communities, organisations and visitors to the national park to deliver the Cairngorms Nature Action Plan, an informal partnership of organisations and people with a commitment to the precious wildlife of the Cairngorms National Park.