The special scientific status of the area where Donald Trump has built his golf course in Aberdeenshire is under review, BBC Scotland learns.

Scottish Natural Heritage said the Menie golf course had caused habitat loss and damage to the dune system.

The environmental agency is assessing the scale of the impact to decide whether all or parts of the site should lose their special status.

The Trump course said its environmental approach was “first class”.

Donald Trump officially played his first round at the Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire in July 2012.

The golf course covers part of the Foveran Links Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), north of Aberdeen, which was considered one of the finest examples of a mobile sand dune system in the UK.

Before the course was built, the dune system moved north at substantial speeds – up to 11 metres per year – across an area of about 15 hectares.

Scottish Natural Heritage, which objected to the golf course development, has been monitoring its environmental impact [ . . . ] Read more at: Trump dunes’ special status ‘reviewed’