A CONSERVATION charity is appealing to Scotland’s seaside communities to help fulfil “the dream” of having a coastal and marine national park.
Scotland only has two national parks – in the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs – but the Scottish Government has pledged to create at least one before the next Holyrood election in 2026.
Now the Blue Marine Foundation is calling on coastal communities to consider whether their area should be granted the special status.
Joe Richards, the charity’s Scotland project manager said: “Scotland has almost a 10th of all Europe’s coastline, including some extraordinary natural beauty and so many of our most iconic places are where the sea meets the land.
“However, the dream of a coastal and marine National Park for Scotland has long gone unfulfilled. It’s time for that to change.”
READ MORE: BBC faces criticism for writing off Scotland in Rugby World Cup
The Scottish Government is currently accepting pre-registrations from community groups who might make a formal bid when nominations open this autumn.
Richards called for those in coastal communities “who already have a vision for how their coastline and seascape can be protected and enhanced” to contact the foundation.
He said: “The most important thing to know is that the process will be very straightforward. It will be about how good your idea is, not how glossy your application looks.”
Nikki Sinclair, of the Scottish Campaign for National Parks, said Scotland is an “outlier” in only having two national parks. She added: “As well as bringing environmental protection, designation can bring additional resources and significant social and economic benefits to places which richly deserve it.”
READ MORE: Organisers say momentum is back after Edinburgh independence rally
Cal Major, an ambassador for the National Trust for Scotland, said: “Scotland’s coastlines and seas are beautiful, environmentally rich places that we must conserve, especially in the face of climate and biodiversity crises. We’re convinced there’s a strong case to consider a coastal and marine national park.
“Unlike England and Wales, Scotland does not yet have a marine and coastal national park. With the Scottish Government’s commitment to create at least one new national park, communities now have a chance to change that.
“The National Trust for Scotland will not take forward our own bid but we will support communities in the places we care for, including coastal communities, that submit their own bids. We encourage communities to register their interest.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here