Scotland new national park consultation – nature recovery should be front and centre

The Scottish Government’s nature agency NatureScot today announced the public consultation for a new national park for Scotland.

Steve Micklewright, Convenor of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance and Chief Executive of Trees for Life, said:

“This welcome public consultation on Scotland’s new national park is a golden opportunity to place nature recovery and rewilding front and centre as priorities for our national parks – so these important places can lead the way in tackling the nature and climate crises, while creating all sorts of new nature-based economic opportunities.

“Now is not the time to be timid. Nature is declining around us, but we depend on nature for our food, health and wellbeing, and for everything we do. So our national parks need to be inspiring trailblazers that show how people and nature can flourish together.

“Through the consultation, we will be urging the Scottish Government to update the quarter-of-a-century-old legislation covering Scotland’s national parks, to ensure the parks are fit for purpose to tackle collapses in biodiversity and climate breakdown, while benefitting local communities and economies.

“The consultation is the public’s chance to ask the Government to prioritise nature, and to ensure the primary purpose of any new or existing national park is nature restoration for the benefit of the nation.”

The Scottish Rewilding Alliance is a collaboration of more than 20 organisations who share a mission to enable rewilding at a scale new to Scotland. See www.rewild.scot