Scottish Government must not delay Galloway National Park
Land-owning lobbyists with vested interests must not be allowed to sway the Scottish Government’s decision on creating Galloway National Park, says Scottish Greens MSP Mark Ruskell.
On Thursday, the SNP's Rural Affairs minister is expected to scrap plans to establish a National Park in Galloway, a core commitment of the Bute House Agreement.
Land-owning lobbyists have demanded investment in the area without any protections of the local environment.
Scottish Greens MSP Mark Ruskell said:
“Any decision to scrap or delay the Galloway National Park would be a disaster for local nature and communities.
“Scotland’s two current National Parks, the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, have shown just how valuable the status can be. From effectively managing tourism and forestry to levering investment into transport and housing, National Parks are benefiting the communities they serve.”
“National Park status opens doors for areas that desperately need opportunities, with the potential to create high-quality jobs, boost local food production and secure landscape scale investment in nature.
“I hope the SNP ignore a small number of voices who want to stop any kind of change, anywhere. A Galloway National Park would have a positive impact for nature and communities and would be managed and controlled by local people themselves.
“Scottish communities were competing against each other last year to secure a new National Park, it would be an embarrassment if SNP Ministers now blocked every community in Scotland from hosting a new park.”