Crucial restoration work is to be done to prevent habitation loss at the iconic Old Man of Storr on Skye.
The famous geological structure attracts more than 200,000 visitors per year and is one of the most popular on the Isle of Skye.
This level of interest has led to the erosion of vegetation and plant life along the winding paths that people use.
Restoration work at the site is led by the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland and supported by the Skye Iconic Sites Partnership (SISP).
Last year the SISP conducted replanting trials in the area, including dispersing local wildflower, which grows across the nearby grasslands.
The next stage of the work is to lay down jute – known as a GeoJute – on the ground near the rock structure.
Jute is a fibrous and biodegradable material that will secure the ground in place in places where footfall is frequent preventing further erosion.
This will be combined with seeding and spot-turfing to regrow the vegetation.
‘Make the site resilient and available for future generations’
The jute will be held in place by boulders which will keep it in place during winter and create sheltered micro-climates for seedlings to grow.
Other work includes damming deep gullies with rocks and turfs to slow rainwater and trap the eroding soil.
Drainage ditches will also be used to help cut off the natural drainage going into the gullies.
Dougie Baird, chief executive of the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland said: “The understandable popularity of the Old Man of Storr as a unique visitor attraction has led to the erosion of grassland, which is a crucial component of the local ecosystem and a key part of Scotland’s natural heritage.
“Using jute netting in this way will help to stabilise and restore the slopes, to the benefit of both the area’s fauna and flora and its future visitors.”
Alistair Danter, chairman of the SISP, added: “It is great to be able to carry out this challenging work that will make the site resilient and available for future generations to enjoy, the economic and environmental value that an asset like the Old Man of Storr represents for the local community is hard to overstate.”
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