This authoritative impartial scientific account by a recognised expert, will be of interest to planning officers, ski companies, skiers, hill-walkers and mountaineers as well as the many in the public who appreciate wildlife and the Scottish countryside. The first part of this book presents the evidence of the author as the main scientific witness at the 1981 Lurcher's Gully Public Inquiry into proposals for ski developments on Cairn Gorm. The Inquiry examined human impacts for a week and remains the most thorough Inquiry on this topic so far in Scotland. Following the decision of the Reporter in charge of the Inquiry, the Secretary of State for Scotland rejected the proposals. In the second part of the book the author presents his unpublished research on certain aspects of the Inquiry that he continued to study afterwards, in more detail.