Meeting of the Parliament 24 February 2016
The measures should not be confused with the intentions behind the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. The byelaws deal with specific circumstances in a national park where steps must be taken to prevent environmental damage caused by a combination of overuse and irresponsible behaviour.
Both the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 and the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 make provision for byelaws in relation to responsible uses of land. Access rights must be exercised responsibly, but unfortunately certain areas of the national park are suffering from considerable environmental damage, and local communities are having to deal with the negative impacts of the worst excesses of irresponsible behaviour.
The proposals to manage camping activity are designed to promote recreational access for all types of users, and not just campers, in the proposed management zones. The measures in the national park do not affect access rights in other parts of the country, and there is no evidence that the east Loch Lomond byelaws have led to calls for similar byelaws to be considered elsewhere in Scotland.