The designation in 1998 by the Secretary of State for Scotland of the areas of Lochnagar and Ballochbuie as 'Special Protection Areas' under the European Birds Directive, and his recommendation to the European Union that Ballochbuie should be designated a 'Special Area of Conservation' under the European Habitats Directive, are testimony to the Royal family's excellent long-term conservation and environmental husbandry record.
The estate is also a founder member of the East Grampian Deer Management Group and has taken a lead in establishing a deer population model, which is at the forefront of the Deer Management Commission for Scotland's programme to manage the deer population and restore heather habitat. About 3,300 red deer were counted on the estate in spring 1998. The intention is to maintain a population of about 2,700. In May 1999, only 1,650 red deer were counted, illlustrating the difficulties of managing such a mobile population.
In 1997 the estate made a provisional application to the Forestry Authority to plant about 200 hectares (500 acres) of new woodland (rowan, birch, willow, scrub oak and Scots Pine) on an area of open heath hillside at Glen Gelder. This is currently the subject of an environmental impact assessment by the Institute for Terrestrial Ecology. The extension of native woodland is a government policy and the application has been made for environmental, not commercial, reasons.
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