Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 07 June 2022
Scotland is a rich, diverse and beautiful country, from the rolling hills in the Borders to the rugged mountains and sinuous sea lochs of the west, the crofting landscapes, the towering sea cliffs that teem with noisy seabirds on our many islands, the vast patterned peatlands of the flow country and the vibrant agricultural landscapes of lowland Scotland. Throughout the country, over millennia, the people of Scotland have worked with and shaped their natural surroundings—and, in doing so, they have shaped their distinctive cultural heritage, which is famous around the world and draws millions of visitors every year. I therefore find it astonishing that we have just two national parks, and I know that that view is shared by many members.
Our national parks are part of a global national park movement that values and protects nature around the world. That brings opportunities to showcase globally what Scotland is doing for nature restoration, to address climate change, in visitor management and on a range of other issues. It also gives us the opportunity to learn what approaches are being taken elsewhere and to adapt and improve them for our own, Scottish needs. Our parks are more important now than ever before. We are amid the interlinked crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, which require urgent action to keep our planet habitable, our crops growing, our climate bearable and our ecosystems alive.
We know that, no matter how quickly net zero is achieved, some effects of global heating are now locked in, such as a rise in temperatures and an increase in extreme weather events. People and nature are therefore going to need to adapt to the changing environment. The window for action is closing. This is the decade in which we must redefine our relationship with nature, or the degradation of our natural environment and climate breakdown will have gone past the point at which they can be managed. By working with and restoring nature at scale, we can reduce the effects of climate change, and wider benefits to individuals, communities and the country can be realised as carbon from the atmosphere is captured and stored and as plants, animals and other species flourish while humans live and work alongside a thriving natural environment.
There are three elements that I would like to bring to the attention of Parliament: first, the work of the two existing parks in tackling the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss; secondly, the work of the parks in welcoming and managing visitors; and, thirdly, the national conversation that is currently under way to capture what stakeholders most value about national parks and how that will inform the identification of the areas to be taken forward for designation as Scotland’s next national parks.