National parks of Scotland
UK National Parks |
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Parentheses denotes the year. An area with ‡ has similar status to a UK National Park. Areas marked † are proposed. |
The national parks of Scotland (
Unlike the national parks of many other countries, the national parks of Scotland are not areas of uninhabited land owned by the state. The majority of the land is in the ownership of private landowners (including conservation bodies such as the
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Biodiversity of Scotland |
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History
The concept of national parks was
Nonetheless, the idea that areas of wild or remote character should be designated to protect the environment and encourage public access grew in popularity throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In 1931 a commission headed by
A 1974 report by the Countryside Commission for Scotland (CCS) entitled A Park System for Scotland did not explicitly recommend that national parks be established in Scotland, noting only that the issue would “no doubt continue to be debated”.[13] A further CCS report into protection of the landscape of Scotland, The Mountain Areas of Scotland - Conservation and Management, was published in 1990. It recommended that four areas were under such pressure that they ought to be designated as national parks, each with an independent planning board, in order to retain their heritage value. The four areas identified were similar to those proposed by the Ramsay Committee: Loch Lomond & the Trossachs, the Cairngorms, Glen Coe-Ben Nevis-Black Mount and Wester Ross, although Wester Ross was not considered to require a dedicated planning body.[13]
Despite this long history of recommendations that national parks be established in Scotland, no action was taken until the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. The two current parks were designated as such under the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000, which was one of the first pieces of legislation to be passed by the Parliament. Since the original creation of the first two national parks, no further parks have been created, although the Cairngorms National Park was extended in 2010 to include the highland portion of Perthshire.[9]
Proposals for additional parks
In June 2005, the
- Solway Firth
- Argyll Islands and Coast
- Ardnamurchan, Small Isles and South Skye Coast
- North Skye Coast and Wester Ross
- Harris and South Lewis
In 2011 the Scottish Government rejected a proposal to create a national park on the Isle of Harris.[15] In 2013 the Scottish Campaign for National Parks proposed the seven areas listed below as suitable for national park status, however no further parks were subsequently designated.[13][16]
- Harris
- Wester Ross
- Glen Affric
- Mull and the Small Isles – to be a marine park
- Ben Nevis, Glen Coe and the Black Mount
- Galloway
- Cheviot Hills
The
- Galloway[20][21]
- Scottish Borders[22][23]
- Tay Forest[24][25]
- Ben Nevis and Lochaber[26]
- Eilean a' Cheo (Skye and Raasay)
- Alladale
- Glen Affric
- Lammermuir Hills
- Largo Bay
- Loch Awe
Organisation
Each national park in Scotland is administered by a national park authority. Under the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000, national parks in Scotland have four aims:[1]
- To conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the area
- To promote natural resourcesof the area
- To promote understanding and enjoyment (including enjoyment in the form of recreation) of the special qualities of the area by the public
- To promote sustainable economicand social development of the area's communities
The first two of these aims are identical to those included in the
A key function of the authority relates to planning permission: in this respect the two current Scottish parks differ. The Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park is a full planning authority, exercising powers that would otherwise be exercised by the local authority, whilst the Cairngorms National Park has the power to "call in" planning decisions from the local authority where they are considered to conflict with the aims of the park.[27] National park authorities are also required to take the responsibility for managing access to the countryside that elsewhere falls to local authorities.[28]
Aside from the planning and access function, national parks authorities have considerable flexibility as to how the four aims are achieved. They can, for example, acquire land, make byelaws and management agreements, provide grants, offer advice, and undertake or commission research.[28]
The national park authority is run by a board, consisting of members elected by the community living with the park, members from the local authorities with areas in the park, and members appointed by the Scottish government. The Cairngorms National Park board has 19 members, whilst the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park board has 17 members (see below).[1]
Composition of the national park authorities[27] | ||
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Members | Cairngorms | Loch Lomond and The Trossachs |
Elected | 5 | 5 |
Appointed by local authorities | 7 (2 appointed by each of Angus Council and Perth and Kinross Council)[29]
|
6 (2 appointed by each of West Dunbartonshire Council and Perth and Kinross Council)[30]
|
Appointed by Scottish Government | 7 | 6 |
Total | 19 | 17 |
List of Scottish national parks
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See also
- Conservation in the United Kingdom
- National parks of England and Wales
- National nature reserve (Scotland)
- National Scenic Area (Scotland)
References
- ^ a b c d e "National Park". Scottish Natural Heritage. 2017. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
- ^ a b "Wildness in Scotland's Countryside" (PDF). Scottish Natural Heritage. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
- ^ "The IUCN Categories". National Parks UK. 2017. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
- ^ "National Designations". Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
- ^ "Scottish Outdoor Access Code" (PDF). Scottish Natural Heritage. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
- ^ The National Parks: Shaping the System; Harpers Ferry Center; U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C., 2004
- ISBN 0836883187.
- ^ a b "Brief History of National Parks Proposals". SNH. Archived from the original on 2018-01-16. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
- ^ a b "History Leading to the Cairngorms National Park". Cairngorms National Park Authority. Archived from the original on 2018-01-15. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
- ^ "National Scenic Areas". Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
- ^ "Development management and National Scenic Areas". SNH. 2017. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
- ^ "National Scenic Areas (NSAs)". Dumfries and Galloway council. 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
- ^ a b c "Unfinished Business a national parks strategy for scotland" (PDF). Scottish Campaign for National Parks. March 2013. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
- ^ "SNH Advice on Coastal and Marine National Parks" (PDF). Scottish Natural Heritage. 2017. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
- ^ "National Park status for Harris rejected but locals vow to fight on - News". Scotsman.com. 2011-01-21. Retrieved 2013-05-08.
- ^ "Scottish Government "short sighted" over snub to national park for Galloway". Dumfries and Galloway - What's Going On. 2016-09-16. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
- ^ "Scottish Government and Scottish Green party Draft Shared Policy Programme" (PDF). Dumfries and Galloway - What's Going On. 20 August 2021. p. 41. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ "Advice on new National Park(s)". NatureScot. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ "New National Parks in Scotland". Scottish Government. 12 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ "Galloway National Park Association". Galloway National Park Association. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ Marc McLeam (4 July 2023). "Galloway national park bid 'third time lucky' council hopes". The National. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ "Campaign for a Scottish Borders National Park". Campaign for a Scottish Borders National Park. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ Mike Thomson (16 April 2023). "Borders national park calls set to be reignited at meeting". Borders Telegraph. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ Kathryn Anderson (28 September 2023). "Perth and Kinross Council looks set to launch consultation on bid to create new National Park". Daily Record. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ "Tay Forest National Park Consultation". Perth and Kinross Council. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ Kathryn Anderson (29 September 2023). "Park status suggested for Ben Nevis and Lochaber". BBC News. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Future National Parks in Scotland: Possible Governance Models" (PDF). Scottish Campaign for National Parks. August 2015. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
- ^ a b "A National Park in Galloway? A Discussion Paper" (PDF). Galloway National Park Association. October 2017. Retrieved 2018-01-21.
- ^ "Park Authority Board". Cairngorms National Park Authority. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ "Our Board". Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ "Key Facts". Loch Lomond & the Trossach National Park Authority. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
- ^ "Our Board". Loch Lomond & the Trossach National Park Authority. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
- ^ "Facts and Figures". Cairngorm National Park Authority. 2015. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
- ^ "Planning". Cairngorm National Park Authority. 2015. Retrieved 2018-01-22.