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The vast and majestic giant shifting dunes at Menie, on theAberdeenshire coast were once one of the few remainingexamples of true wilderness in the UK.Designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the highestnational level of environmental protection in the UK, this highlymobile dune system, unique in the UK and rarely found elsewherein Europe has been of tremendous geomorphological interest fordecades.Today, the once protected dunes are all but destroyed. As Donald Trump’s controversial £750m golf development isscheduled to open in summer 2012 with the promise of £1bninvestment to the local economy, the fate of this unique andonce protected habitat has been sealed.Trump International Golf Links, which Donald Trump hails to become the world’s best course, is due to open in Aberdeenshire on July 10 2012. The golfcourse at the Menie Estate, on the Aberdeenshire coast in Scotland has been built on a site of special scientific interest after the Scottish government overruled Aberdeenshire council’s decision to reject the American’s project, arguing the economic benefits outweighed environmental concerns. Alongside the environmental impact, many of the local residentshave also objected strongly to the development. Since decliningTrump International ’s offer to buy their homes they have suffered a great disruption to their once quiet lives.