Glenfeshie plans win park's backing

THE Cairngorms National Park Authority has said that Glenfeshie Estate is moving forward in a "very positive way" and is drawing a line under the controversies of the past.

Convener David Green made the comment after members of the park board went to find out for themselves about plans for the 43,000-acre estate on Friday.

The estate has been described as the Jewel in the Crown of the Cairngorms and will always be associated with the 19th Century artist Sir Edwin Landseer and his "Monarch of the Glen".

But, in more recent years, the owners of Glenfeshie have divided opinion with their policies on deer management and nature conservation.

Park board members used the visit to hear directly from the estate’s management team about their 200-year vision for the internationally-designated estate.

These include their controversial proposals for regeneration of the Caledionan Pines on the estate and deer culling as well as archaeology and outdoor access and the economics of running the sporting estate.

Between 400 and 600 deer are to be killed every year to help with plans to restore large tracts of the woodland.

Owner Danish clothing millionaire Anders Holch Povlsen (39) wants to more than double the area of native woodland from the existing 1,900 hectares over the next five years.

Speaking after the visit, CNPA board convener David Green said: "This was an extremely useful day for the board.

"It’s difficult to put a value on time spent out in the field talking with land managers and learning about the different approaches to estate management.

"Traditional sporting estates in the park are working hard to meet many objectives. We were impressed by the constructive but challenging long-term management approach to sustainable development balancing out the environmental with the economic and community interest.

"In particular, we are supportive of their active restoration of native forests, improvements to hill tracks and other initiatives.

"It was also good to learn more about how the estate is keen to engage with the local community and encouraging responsible outdoor access – all reflections of the aims of the national park.

"This is an estate that is moving forward in a very positive way and drawing a line under the controversies of the past."

Estate factor Thomas MacDonell hosted the visit of the park board members and also invited were representatives from Kincraig and Newtonmore communities, RSPB, Scottish Natural Heritage, Forestry Commission Scotland, National Trust for Scotland, neighbouring estates and the Cairngorms Deer Advisory Group.

Mr MacDonell said: "We were delighted to welcome the park board to Glenfeshie and have the opportunity to communicate directly and dispel some of the sensationalised reporting which has preceded this visit.

"Some of our key aspirations for the estate during our time here will be to put in place the foundations to allow this wonderful piece of land to move closer towards its full ecological potential.

"We are very aware that we are mere custodians of Glenfeshie and as a local myself with my family entrenched in traditional farming and sporting estate activity, I am regularly made fully aware of their concerns.

"I am humbled to be leading the team to achieve long-term security while providing genuine public and private benefits – this can only be described as a truly philanthropic gesture from a visionary owner. "

Will Boyd Wallis, Senior Land Management Officer at the CNPA, said the authority was just about to launch the Deer Framework.

He said: "Already the framework has prompted projects to help deer managers present their management objectives in a very open way which I believe will prove extremely valuable to all deer managers and indeed anyone with an interest in our deer.

"We are very grateful to the estate for their hospitality and to all who contributed to the discussions on the day at Glenfeshie.

"It was fantastic to see the extent of the woodland regeneration, to hear the range of views on how things have progressed on the estate and to offer our support for what they are aiming to achieve in the long-term."

There have been on-going concerns in the gamekeepers’ lobby and in the local community about the scale of deer culling and the way that the creatures have been killed on Glenfeshie Estate.

More recently there was criticism of the estate’s plans for the future from community leaders in nearby Kincraig, who have claimed that the proposals will turn the estate into a jungle.