The Scottish Campaign for National Parks (SCNP) and The Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (APRS) are calling for more National Parks to be created in Scotland.
On the eve of the two day John Muir Conference being held in Perth, the two organisations will host a free Conference Fringe Event on Sunday 11 May from 6.30pm to 7.30pm in the Royal George Hotel, Perth to outline the case for more National Parks in Scotland. The event is open to all and there will be a short presentation followed by an open discussion.
Loch Lomond – Scotland’s 1st national park
The organisers say that the event comes at an interesting time when the centenary of the death of famous Scot John Muir is being celebrated. Recognition is due to Muir for his contribution to the worldwide National Parks movement and in particular his campaigning efforts in the United States in the 19th Century, which eventually led to over 400 National Parks being established and described as ‘America’s best ever idea’.
Ross Anderson, Chairman of SCNP, said: “We are anxious to get over the message that there is unfinished business in Scotland and, along with APRS, we have prepared a well-argued strategy for the establishment of seven more National Parks to join the two existing National Parks covering the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs.”
Charles Millar, Chairman of APRS, said: “As a nation we are currently near the bottom of the world league in terms of our number of National Parks. We believe it would be a fitting tribute to the legacy of John Muir if the Scottish Government set the wheels in motion to create some new National Parks to protect and promote more of Scotland’s magnificent landscapes and help regenerate some of the more economically fragile parts of rural Scotland.”
“To date the Scottish Government has rebuffed the call for more National Parks, despite its manifesto commitment to work with communities to explore the creation of new National Parks. The community of Harris voted overwhelmingly in favour of the creation of Scotland’s third National Park, but this was rejected by the Scottish Government.”