Scotland loves National Parks
#LoveNationalParks
I love National Parks because they are an amazing place to experience Scotland's wonderful landscapes and wildlife
We’re sending a message to MSPs and decision-makers about how important National Parks are to us.
National Parks Campaign
Our campaign for the Scottish Government to designate more National Parks has been running for over a decade. Unfortunately, the campaign had a set back when the plan to designate Galloway as Scotland’s newest National Park was cancelled. You can read an analysis of the campaign against the park here.
Nonetheless our work advocating for National Parks continues with the Natural Environment Bill, as we work to include measures to make National Parks more effective and to look at what could be improved in the designation process.
This is a joint project with the Scottish Campaign for National Parks (SCNP).
National Parks News
The committee report on the Natural Environment Bill has been published. In this post we look at the key elements of the report which are relevant for National Parks legislation.
Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon made an announcement on 29 May that there will be no National Park in Galloway. Here we look at the content of the announcement, record our statement following the decision, as well as highlighting some of the responses from MSPs in the chamber after the announcement.
Nikki Sinclair, our National Parks Project Manager, gave evidence to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee of the Scottish Parliament on the Natural Environmental Bill. This Bill, in part, updates some of the legislation around National Parks and we hope will improve how they function and their effectiveness.
Our Existing National Parks
This video by Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park explains how the Park works and how it benefits the communities and businesses within it, the environment and the many visitors to the park.
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
Scotland’s first National Park established in 2002, lying close to Scotland’s Central Belt, it sits on the boundary of the highlands and lowlands of Scotland, centered around Loch Lomond and the hills and Glens of the Trossachs.
Cairngorms National Park
Established in 2003, and extended in 2010, the Cairngorms National Park is nestled in the Highlands of Scotland, closest to the city of Inverness.
The History of the Campaign
The campaign for National Parks in Scotland is not new, APRS has been campaigning for National Parks since we were established nearly a hundred years ago.
Our very first annual report in 1930 had a section outlining a committee chaired by Sir Douglas Ramsay, formed by APRS to take forward the case for National Parks in Scotland. A separate organisation was formed from APRS in 1943, the Scottish Campaign for National Parks.
A report from the committee, commissioned by the Government, was published in 1945 recommending a number of areas as National Parks.
1945 Report – National Parks: a Scottish Survey
This is the seminal 1945 report, the Ramsay Report, written by the Scottish National Parks Survey Committee, consisting of F Fraser Darling, D G Moir, Peter Thomsen, and chaired by Sir Douglas Ramsay. They made recommendations for locations for National Parks in Scotland. The sites recommended are, in the main, the same locations that are being discussed today.
The Story of National Parks Policy in Scotland
If you are interested in the story of National Parks Policy in Scotland you can find an archive of reports, and other documents here:
National Parks Resources
See all National Parks resources
Unfinished Business – a National Parks Strategy for Scotland 2013
Unfinished Business is. report on the benefits of National Parks for Scotland and was written in 2013
National Parks – Frequently Asked Questions
The answers to all sorts of questions about National Parks: what they are, why Scotland should have more, where they should be, who would pay for them and many others
The Socio-economic Benefits of New National Park Designations in Scotland
This paper discusses the positive socio-economic impacts that new National Park designations could have on specific rural areas in Scotland. It refers to research in the rest of the UK, in Norway, Poland, New Zealand and North America, where a variety of studies have taken place regarding the socio-economic impacts of National Parks on their local areas.
Tourism and the Future of National Parks in Scotland
A paper reviewing the postive impact that having more National Parks in Scotland could have on the visitor economy of the country. The way that other countries with more national parks than Scotland use this to promote tourism is cited.
The Nominations
Five areas submitted nominations to become one of Scotland’s new National Parks.
You can find out information on each of them below. Information on the next steps of the process is here:
Galloway National Park
Loch Awe National Park
Pàirc Nàiseanta Loch Abair
Scottish Borders National Park
