Beinn Ghlas. There is a nature trail on the lower section of this path, with information leaflets available in the car park. The northern side of the Ben Lawers range comprises three privately owned estates, at Roroyere, Roromore, and South Chesthill. All three cover land extending from Glen Lyon to the watershead of the ridge. As with all land in Scotland, there is a freedom to roam on the hills regardless of whether the land is in public or private ownership, provided that access is exercised responsibly, in accordance with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Nature and conservation Ben Lawers is regarded by botanists as one of the richest areas for alpine flora in the UK, due to the schist rocks of the mountain which are situated at the correct altitude for the plants. The rocks supply an adequate amount of calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and iron to the plants and breaks down to a clayish soil which retains moisture. Some of the plants found on Lawers include alpine forget-me-not, roseroot, net-leaved willow and most of the saxifrages. The Sunday Times reported on February 15, 2021, that efforts are being made on Lawers to save the rare flower Sabulina rubella, also known as Mountain Sandwort, from extinction. The mountain is also of interest to zoologists. Some of the bird species include ravens, ring ouzels, red grouse, ptarmigan, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, dotterel, golden plover, and short-eared owls. Other rare species include the viviparous lizard and the wildcat. The Ben Lawers range has been designated as a National Nature Reserve (NNR) since 1964. In 2005 the boundary was altered so that all NTS land at Ben Lawers (including the neighbouring Tarmachan range) was included in the NNR, which the Trust now manages on behalf of NatureScot. Ben Lawers is also designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve is classified as a Category II protected area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The Ben Lawers range forms part of the Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon National Scenic Area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection from inappropriate development by restricting certain forms of development. Climbing Ben Lawers is a popular mountain, resulting in path erosion and vegetation loss from