Locals asked for views on Ben Wyvis management

Overlooking the town of Dingwall, and prominent on the skyline from Inverness, Ben Wyvis dominates the local landscape and is one of a small number of high-plateau mountain sites in the UK.

A significant part of the mountain is a National Nature Reserve (NNR), owned and managed by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). This Munro supports a mosaic of upland habitats, which attracts a range of upland wildlife including mountain specialists like dotterel, mountain hares and ptarmigan, as well as red deer and the occasional golden eagle.

Ian Sargent, the reserve manager, said: “Ben Wyvis is a great place for people to connect with and enjoy Scotland’s rugged upland nature. As part of considering our plans for the future, we would like to hear what people value most about this nature reserve, and their suggestions for ongoing management”.

The reserve's quiet seclusion attracts hillwalkers to enjoy the NNR from the well-established path which makes it a popular and well-known ascent. In conditions of poor visibility, navigation along the summit becomes more difficult, and as a result several paths have formed.  SNH has recently been working to encourage walkers to use one main path, while restoring and re-vegetating adjacent areas to improve these sensitive upland habitats.

SNH has published a draft plan and a consultation leaflet and will be holding a drop-in event on Monday 5 February at Garve Village Hall. Consultation leaflets and more information may be downloaded from the NNR website (www.nnr-scotland.org.uk/ben-wyvis) or by e -mailing SNH at NNR@snh.gov.uk.

The consultation period runs from 29 January until 12 March 2018.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Ben Wyvis is one of 43 NNRs in Scotland. NNRs are special places that look after some of the best of Scotland’s nature on behalf of everyone who lives or visits Scotland, and they provide unique opportunities to visit, enjoy and learn more about Scotland’s nature. For more information, see www.nnr-scotland.org.uk.