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Landscape sculpture ? Ice Age legacy
Many of Scotlands' landforms are relict features formed by processes, such as glaciation, that are no longer active today. These landforms include moraines, eskers and drumlins which often strongly influence the local landscape character. Many caves also developed during the Ice Age, often under processes of high water flow or altered sea-levels that do not occur today.
Such natural landscape 'sculptures' can be lost for ever through inappropriate building or infrastructure development and hidden beneath commercial afforestation schemes. Some landforms are a rich source of sand and gravel and although the more extensive deposits can sustain a level of sand and gravel extraction, smaller and more vulnerable landforms may be entirely destroyed.
Many caves, and also karst landforms, are vulnerable to changes in water flow and water chemistry. They are also vulnerable to careless or irresponsible caving practices, destruction through activities such as quarrying, and blocking or pollution by tipping of waste agricultural or other material.
Scottish Natural Heritage provides advice on conservation of Scotlands relict landforms, through our Area Officesor our Earth Science Group.