Scotland's New National Park Appraisal Panel: final report

Background

The Scottish Government has committed to designating at least one new National Park in Scotland. Following a call for expressions of interest in May 2023, communities and organisations wishing to put their area forward to be considered for designation as Scotland’s next National Park were invited in October 2023 to develop and submit a formal proposal or ‘nomination’ to the Scottish Government by 29 February 2024. The role of Scotland’s National Parks is summarised in Box 1 below.

The Scottish Government received nominations from five areas:

• Galloway - www.gallowaynationalpark.org/bid
• Lochaber-www.nationalparkforlochaber.blogspot.com/2024/03/conditional-nomination-document.html
• Loch Awe - Home - Loch Awe National Park.
• Scottish Borders - The Bid - Scottish Borders National Park
• Tay Forest - www.pkc.gov.uk/tayforestnationalpark

To ensure an open and transparent process, nominations have been appraised against specific criteria set out in the published appraisal framework: New National Parks: nominations guidance and appraisal framework. To ensure a bottom-up approach, assessment by the panel was based on the information provided in the nomination forms by the nominating groups (as opposed to undertaking an independent appraisal of the geographic areas), with limited additional information (supplementary analysis) and cross-checking provided by officials.

Box 1. The role and impact of Scotland’s National Parks

As set out in the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000, the four statutory aims of a National Park are:

(a) to conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the area,

(b) to promote sustainable use of the natural resources of the area,

(c) to promote understanding and enjoyment (including enjoyment in the form of recreation) of the special qualities of the area by the public, and

(d) to promote sustainable economic and social development of the area’s communities.

The general purpose of a National Park Authority is to ensure that the aims are collectively achieved in a co-ordinated way. National Park Authorities achieve this by utilising their convening power to work with communities, businesses and land managers to develop and deliver long term plans, leverage funding and galvanise action to address local priorities. National Park Plans are subject to public consultation, with updated plans published at least every 5 years. Through this activity, National Park Authorities have a role in supporting local economic activity, leveraging investment in natural resources and the visitor economy, supporting sustainable land management and nature restoration at scale and helping to improve the visitor experience. The authorities also ensure inclusive access to the National Parks for people of all backgrounds and they integrate equality and diversity into their day to day work, their governance and their plans and strategies.

For example, the Cairngorms 2030 Programme supports 25 projects across the National Park with a total value of £42.3 million, including over £10 million funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The programme is delivering benefits for rural communities and businesses across a range of areas including health, wellbeing, nature restoration and sustainable transport. The Cairngorms Future Farming initiative is working with six farms in the National Park to support regenerative farming models.

In Loch Lomond & The Trossachs, the National Park Authority supports communities to prepare and deliver community action plans and has grant funded hundreds of community-led projects. The Park Authority also convenes businesses operating in the Park to support joint projects and share information. In 2022, nearly £450 million was generated in the local economy through visitor and tourism businesses.