Outstanding Wildlife

The National Park has unique and incredibly important wildlife. The high mountains, ancient forests, fields and moorlands are each outstanding. All together in one place they make the Cairngorms very special indeed.

The forests of the Cairngorms are the biggest and best connected in Britain, a quarter of the entire Scottish native woodland resource, more than half of the surviving Caledonian forest, and a refuge for disappearing wildlife like capercaillie and twinflower.

Cairngorms landscape The National Park has nationally and internationally important wetlands and is the single most important mainland breeding site in Britain for farmland waders like lapwing and redshank.

The Cairngorm plateau is like nowhere else in the UK and is more like the arctic than Britain with species like dotterel, ptarmigan and snow bunting breeding there.

A quarter of the UK’s rare and endangered species survive here making it a stronghold for species that have all but disappeared from the rest of the UK.

It is this combination of big, well connected and high quality habitats that make this an outstanding place for wildlife.

To find out more about our special wildlife, click one of the highlighted species in the circular menu above or the “find out more” tab on the right. There is also further detailed information on species projects in the 'Our Work' section.

WHERE TO GO

For the best places to experience our outstanding wildlife first hand

ACTION

For projects working hard to protect and enhance our outstanding nature

FIND OUT MORE

For the full range of Cairngorms Nature priority Species & Habitats

HOW TO HELP

What can you do to look after our outstanding wildlife

Outstanding Wildlife

Connect with Cairngorms Nature