John Muir
The event, in Perth Concert Hall on 12-13 May, will explore innovative solutions for the protection and enhancement of the UK’s most important landscapes, and examine the relevance of Muir’s visionary principles in the 21st century.
The conference, hosted by a group of six landscape, nature and heritage organisations, with the support of the Scottish Government as part of its Year of Homecoming, comes at a time of growing interest in the management of national parks and protected areas.
Stuart Brooks, the chief executive of the John Muir Trust, said: “We are delighted to be part of this ground-breaking conference which we hope will contribute to a national debate on how we protect our wild places, in the centenary year of John Muir’s death.
“This conference will provide a platform to share some excellent and innovative approaches to management of our protected areas and also a place where new ideas and challenges to the status quo can be debated.
“There is an old saying that a prophet is never honoured in his own country, but it is heartening that the prophet of wild land, a son of East Lothian, is now recognised as one of Scotland’s national heroes.
“We can still learn a great deal from him and it would be a fitting legacy to carry forward his campaign to protect wild places in the land of his birth.”
The conference organisers say the event is aimed primarily at people who: work in landscape and protected areas policy; are managers of protected areas; are major stakeholders within protected areas; or are in involved in governance of protected areas. More details on the 2 day event can be found on the conference website.