THE convener of Highland Council, Councillor Peter Peacock, last night called on the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the World Wide Fund for Nature Scotland to drop their court action aimed at halting the Cairngorm funicular railway project.

The call came after it emerged that Scottish Natural Heritage had redrawn the boundaries of the proposed European designation around the active ski areas on Cairngorm.

SNH's director of strategy and operations in its East Area, Mr Ian Jardine, said that at the agency's board meeting this week, members had looked again at the scientific arguments for the boundaries of the proposed Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive and Special Area of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive on the Cairngorms.

Cairngorms conservation specialist Dr Adam Watson drew up a report for WWF Scotland earlier this year arguing that four areas, covering a total of 1000 hectares, should have been included in the proposed designations.

WWF Scotland and the RSPB are relying upon this report, among other arguments, in a bid for a judicial review of SNH's actions at the Court of Session later this month. They are arguing that SNH breached European law by failing to include these areas and that the funicular project should not therefore go ahead.

However, Mr Jardine said that after looking again at the scientific evidence, SNH was adhering to its decision to exclude three areas - the ski area itself, the summit of Cairn Gorm, and an area covering 700 hectares to the east of the ski area - from the proposed designation.

It found that in the past two years, an area of 46 hectares on the Coire Cas ridge had recovered and should now be included within the boundary.

Mr Simon Pepper, head of WWF Scotland, said that he was encouraged by SNH's decision to redraw the boundary, but that it was not appropriate to discuss further at this stage issues which would be aired fully in court.

Councillor Peacock, however, said last night: ''Here is the perfect opportunity for RSPB/WWF to let their actions match their rhetoric on the importance they attach to local jobs and the needs of local people around Cairngorm. SNH's decision clears the way for RSPB/WWF to recognise that high value European sites, conservation, and legitimate economic activity can live happily side by side.''

He added: ''What could be better than RSPB/WWF now playing an active part in the interpretive facility planned, so that the one million RSPB members in the UK and the many others who want to know more about the importance and beauty of the Cairngorms can do so.''

Mr Pepper replied: ''This court case is to establish whether the agencies concerned have acted legally.

''It is not a test of anybody's commitment to the community. We start from a commitment to the community and we regard the law as being there to protect the community's interests.''