National Parks are Peoples Homes

People live and thrive within National Parks. They raise families, build homes, create companies and maintain the culture and traditions of that area.

We can't consider Parks creation and development without first considering the people who already live there.

Why the contribution is important

The land being considered for Park status has only achieved value through the efforts of the people living there and through their continued investment in time, effort and money. These will no doubt vary from small farms/homes to large swathes managed as estates.

Future plans for parks must include these people and promote the land as a place to live and work. It cannot be allowed to turn into an amusement park where only service industries are viable during the short summer season.

by NB on May 13, 2022 at 09:16AM

Current Rating

Average rating: 4.5
Based on: 12 votes

Comments

  • Posted by Hellie May 22, 2022 at 20:57

    It is vital to consider the impact on local people of NP designation as well as the impact on the wildlife and the landscape. If local people feel that NP regulations are imposed from above or that they run counter to the maintenance of viable rural communities, they are unlikely to support the plan. While changes to management practices may be necessary to achieve or maintain sustainable land use and/or to increase biodiversity, these should be implemented in a way that also considers the needs of rural communities. There is likely to be an increase in visitor numbers due to NP designation. This needs to be planned for and infrastructure needs assessed to avoid the pitfalls of schemes like the NC500 and the problems that has caused for local inhabitants.

  • Posted by geoffreykolbe June 05, 2022 at 17:16

    Could not agree more. But I think the numbers of visitors on the NC500 route was a complete surprise to everyone and so no real planning was done to manage them.

    Visitors really do not want to wander hither and thither around the countryside. Give them somewhere to park with a bin and a toilet (both of which would be maintained) then visitors will actually not go very far from the car park.

    The same is true for paths through an area of countryside. Give a visitor a path and (s)he will not stray off it.

    There is a very good document on the Scottish Borders National Park website called, "How to keep (almost) everybody in the countryside happy" which discusses visitor management. If managed properly, both visitors and locals should find the visit a pleasurable experience.

  • Posted by camusfearna June 06, 2022 at 00:28

    It is a curious proposition by those campaigning for the Borders and D&G to be designated as national parks that they recognise that additional resources and work would be required to deal with the acknowledged additional impact on communities that NP designation would bring from increased tourism etc; when, alternatively, the mitigating work and its cost would not be required if an area was not designated a national park.

  • Posted by Barrview June 06, 2022 at 11:35

    The levels of tourism in Galloway are well short of what is now the norm in many parts of Scotland but as everywhere there are honeypots where visitors tend to congregate and these need to be managed and NPs are best placed to do this.

    A National Park in galloway will lift the profile of the area and encourage more visitors which are much needed to boost the laical tourist industry which is providing essential but largely seasonal employment . If visitor numbers were to increase and this is properly managed then the local economy will benefit.

  • Posted by Spike June 06, 2022 at 11:57

    And on experience from other National Parks it will increase house prices, with a knock on detrimental effect on locals and businesses that want to expand, already struggling to find properties to rent and buy.
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