Blue Marine Press Release - Coastal & Marine Area National Park
The Scottish public want to see a new National Park for Scotland that includes coastal and marine areas, according to new polling conducted for Blue Marine Foundation [1] by Survation. The idea was supported by two thirds of those who expressed a view, and opposed by just 11% [2].
The Bute House Agreement includes a commitment from Scottish Ministers to “designate at least one new National Park by the end of this session,
provided relevant legal conditions can be met“ [3], and the nomination process is currently open for community bids until 29th February [4].
In February 2023, NatureScot advised Ministers that:
“At least one coastal and marine National Park should also be prioritised to provide an exemplar for this nationally important ecosystem and iconic Scottish landscape.”
Joe Richards, Scotland Project Manager at Blue Marine Foundation, said:
"There are many iconic areas of Scotland where communities would benefit from the enhanced local control a National Park brings, from economic and environmental improvements to better visitor management. So many of these natural wonders are where the land meets the sea, and, like the public, we think it’s time for a coastal and marine National Park for Scotland.
“There is still time for communities to come forward if they want to see these benefits for their patch of Scotland. We strongly believe that any Scottish coastal and marine National Park would be for multiple uses, economic as well as conservation, and Blue Marine is ready to provide advice and support to any community considering putting in a nomination that includes a marine element. The idea of a coastal and marine National Park for Scotland has been a dream of many for decades: now is the time to make it a reality.”
Nikki Sinclair, National Parks Strategy Project Manager for the Scottish Campaign for National Parks and for Action to Protect Rural Scotland, said:
"The very encouraging response to the nominations supports the case we have been making, that Ministers should be looking at designating a suite of National Parks during this Parliament and beyond. We should ensure that the whole range of Scotland's special landscapes are recognised and it would be a missed opportunity if areas with coastal and marine elements were not up for consideration.
“The more bids that come in from communities across Scotland, whether coastal or not, the more options Ministers will have when they decide how to expand our National Park network. The clock is ticking, though, and it may be many years before there is another opportunity to put your area forward through a bottom-up selection process like this.”
1. Blue Marine works using a combination of top-down intervention to improve governance of our seas and bottom-up project delivery to help local communities who are at the front line of ocean conservation. See:
https://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/about/
2. Survation asked 1,029 residents of Scotland aged 16+ the following question:
The Scottish Government has committed to designating at least one new National Park by 2026. To what extent would you support a new National Park that includes coastal and marine areas?
Strongly support: 33%
Somewhat support: 30%
Total support: 63% (67% without don’t knows)
Strongly oppose: 3%
Somewhat oppose: 7%
Total oppose: 10% (10.6% without don’t knows)
Neither support nor oppose: 21% (22.3% without don’t knows)
Don’t know: 6%
3. See p40:
https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/agreement/2021/08/scottish-government-and-scottish-green-party-shared-policy-programme/documents/scottish-government-and-scottish-green-party-draft-shared-policy-programme/scottish-government-and-scottish-green-party-draft-shared-policy-programme/govscot%3Adocument/SG%2BSGP%2BTalks%2B-%2BDraft%2BPolicy%2BProgramme%2B-%2BFINAL%2B-%2BOFFSEN.pdf
4. The bid process is set out here:
https://www.gov.scot/policies/landscape-and-outdoor-access/national-parks/