Three year bug study in Cairngorms park
A three-year conservation study into insects has been launched in the Cairngorms National Park.
The conservation project will help to establish the size and distribution of some species populations in the national park, and find better ways to help protect them.
Experts are working in the Cairngorms to track and survey Kentish glory moths, shining guest ants, dark bordered beauty moths, small scabious mining bees, northern silver-stilleto flies, and pine hoverflies.
Experts from RSPB Scotland, the Cairngorms National Park Authority, Buglife, Butterfly Conservation and Scottish Natural Heritage will work together on the ambitious conservation project over the next three years, and are looking for volunteers to help with their surveys.
Gabrielle Flinn, the Cairngorms project’s rare invertebrates expert, said: “The Cairngorms National Park is well known for its iconic species such as the capercaillie and wildcat, but it’s also the last refuge for some of Scotland’s rarest insects.
“For the next three years the project will be working to conserve some of these rare species spread across the park’s key habitats, from aspen woodland to flower rich grasslands.
“We’ll be relying on people in and around the park to lend a hand, so if you’re passionate about the smaller things in life we’d love to hear from you.”
The conservationists say this project is of vital importance, because some of the species they plan to study such as the small scabious mining bees, can only be found inside the Cairngorms National Park.
The three-year project will be funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, and are now recruiting volunteers to help with their survey work. The Cairngorms National Park is home to various rare bug species 070414_cairngorms02