National Parks

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National Parks

The founding father of national parks was a Scot, John Muir, who left Dunbar as a young boy for a life in America. His efforts in the 1880s led to the development of the worldwide national parks movement. His legacy was not acted upon in Scotland until 2000 when the Scottish Parliament passed the national parks legislation as an early part of the land reform programme.

Despite the late start we believe that very good progress has been made in the establishment of the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Parks in the years since 2000. These Parks have fulfilled their purposes, as laid down by the legislation, and demonstrated how public support for the protection of landscape, wildlife and the cultural heritage can go hand in hand with economic improvement and the wider aspects of sustainable development.

We particularly welcome the vigorous way in which the Parks have embraced their responsibilities under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and demonstrated, as access authorities, the effective implementation of the right to roam legislation.

Public opposition to national parks, led in the past by large and powerful landowners, has largely melted away as there has been a growing confidence and acceptance of national parks as an integral part of our rural landscape. Now is the time for the Scottish Government to build on this solid base and push forward a new agenda for national parks that matches future aspirations and sets an example to other countries with outstanding natural and cultural resources. The priority should be to build on the successful aspects of the current system, while addressing some of the more obvious problems that have arisen over the last few years.

We note that, in terms of public expenditure, the Parks have been achieving a great deal with relatively limited resources. They are good value for money and the Scottish Government should look favourably on proposals for appropriate increases in budgets. There is a lot of catching up to do after decades of government inaction until the arrival of the Scottish Parliament.

Our main area of concern at present relates to the structure and powers of the existing Boards. There is a perception that these are too large in size and have functions that overlap or duplicate those of other agencies and local authorities. Reducing the size of Boards, while still retaining the same balance of local and national viewpoints, may have merit.

Similarly, some rationalisation of the planning arrangements may be worth considering, so that the national park boards are more focussed on the strategic and policy objectives of the national park areas, leading cooperative action to resolving problems, and restricting their involvement in individual planning applications to the call in and determination of the most significant applications.

A serious mistake was made in the establishment of the Cairngorms National Park by a failure to include Highland Perthshire in the southern sector of the Park. We support the Scottish Government’s decision, in recognition of the widespread public support, locally, nationally and politically, to extend the boundary down to Blair Atholl and the Spittal of Glenshee. At the same time, however, some minor boundary adjustment to the north should have been considered to encompass the Dulnain native pinewood west of Carrbridge, the Dava Moor north of Carrbridge, and some moorland areas of Aberdeenshire.

Virtually no progress has been made in establishing a World Heritage Site in the Cairngorms since the original government commitment to this aim was made way back in the early 1980s. Now that a national park has been established in the Cairngorms, and has been shown to work effectively, the time has arrived to see if World Heritage status can now be achieved. Such a Site, encompassing the area’s outstanding natural and cultural values, could potentially be established under the terms of the World Heritage Convention.

We think it is important for the Scottish Government to build on the momentum developed in the last few years and consider what future options are available for establishing new national parks. In doing so the Government should have particular regard to the potential value of national parks in promoting rural economic development and the role that they might play in tackling some of the issues which are arising as a result of climate change concerns.

We believe that a strong case can be made for establishing Scotland’s third national park in the Western Isles, centred on Harris, along with a southern section encompassing part of North Uist and a northern section extending into Lewis. Not only would such a national park provide an appropriate level of protection to the famous coastal and upland landscapes of the Western Isles, it would bring significant social and economic benefit – directly through the work generated in park planning and management, but also indirectly through tourism.

A national park in the Western Isles, combined with the further development and promotion of walking routes throughout the whole of the Isles, would stimulate considerable visitor interest, not just in Scotland but further afield. It would put the Western Isles into the top class of heritage and outdoor recreation destinations to visit.

The international visitor is especially alert to the location and opportunities provided by national parks – they usually encompass the best scenery, wildlife, hospitality and facilities for enjoying the natural environment. National park status in the Western Isles could be the key to restoring job prospects, promoting the aims of sustainable development and enhancing tourism opportunities.

The need to establish a national park in the area encompassing Ben Nevis, Glencoe and the Grey Corries has been recognised for many years. It is perhaps time to advance this proposal alongside possible extensions of the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Parks.

A single park, covering all three areas, would be an outstanding achievement, putting Scotland into a leading position in the development of the national parks concept. Most of the additional land required to establish such a single national park would be mountains, moorland and forest.Not only would such a national park be a proper reflection of the scale and extent of Scotland’s upland wildlife and scenic resources, it could provide a benchmark for action on climate change.

By promoting the sustainable management of such a large tract of the uplands, a single national park could demonstrate how the restoration and regeneration of upland habitats is important for managing river systems, protecting peatland resources and using natural vegetation to capture and conserve carbon. It would also provide a resource for outdoor recreation which would be recognised as amongst the best of any European country. Such a national park would demonstrate that the legacy of John Muir is alive and well in the mountains and glens of modern Scotland.