Mountain Environment Services
| Meet the human face of MES |
|
Welcome to the human side of the company. MES is my brainchild and my name is Cathy Mordaunt.
Originally from London, I came to the Highlands in 1988 and have lived here ever since. I have a lifelong fascination with mountains and after taking a Geography degree at Oxford University, I turned to mountain ecology, taking a diploma in Environmental Management at Stirling University and following that with a PhD in the ecology of late snowbeds. My interest in changing climate and environments started at Oxford under the influence of Professors Andrew Goudie and Alayne Street-Perrott; it continues to this day with concerns over the impact of anthropogenic climate change and our unsustainable lifestyles. During my PhD, which took several years longer than anticipated (not an interesting story!), I did a variety of ecological work, including extensive habitat condition monitoring throughout the Cairngorms. I spent 5 years working at CairnGorm Mountain, developing an environmental monitoring scheme that forms part of the legal requirements of the Section 50 agreement associated with the funicular development. The scheme identifies visitor impacts and offers a framework for management of those impacts. Aspects covered include:
I continue to run the scheme as a consultant and work closely with CairnGorm Mountain in the development of the environmental education that is the future vision for the company. Not content with just ecology, I have also spent several years working in the outdoor education industry, teaching mountaineering, skiing, mountain biking and watersports. I continue to climb, ski, bike and run in the hills and paddle on the sea for pleasure, but nowadays concentrate on ecology in my professional life. There is considerable overlap, however, when working in mountain environments, where weather conditions and terrain often demand a high degree of skill and experience. |