Research in Aberdeen City and Shire

What makes Aberdeen city and shire a good area to conduct research in?

Much of the research carried out in the region connects to its natural beauty. The Cairngorms National Park is the UK's largest National Park and is home to five of the six highest mountains in the country; it contains the finest collection of glacial landforms outside arctic Canada - from granite tors to deposits from the Ice Ages; and a number of endangered species such as Scot's Pines, Scottish Crossbills and Freshwater Pearl Mussels. The Cairngorms National Park represents an interesting exercise in multi-functional land management through an enabling authority - a new way of governing landscapes and innovative model for national parks, and yet as an alternativism Royal Deeside represents conservatism and tradition in rural property rights. The Menie Estate and Balmedie area North of Aberdeen has become quite famous in recent years due to its involvement with the Trump International Golf course franchise and the large European off-shore wind farm. Of course by the time of the ESRS 2015 Scotland will be a nation negotiating the aftermath of an independence referendum- what will the role of rural Scotland consist of within different models of nation building and negotiated relationships with UK and Europe. The North East of Scotland is a region where climate change offers opportunities to the rural economy, through increases in prime land, as well as threats; so sustainable intensification jostles with concerns over lack of new entrants to livestock farming further up the glens. In terms of livestock farming more specifically the UK beef herd is the second largest in Europe (after France) of which almost 30% is Scottish. Over a quarter of the total EU sheep flock is in the UK (the largest in Europe) and 20% is in Scotland. Both industries are strongly represented in the North East.