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Central Purpose

The central purpose of SCNP is to champion the national parks cause in Scotland. This means being a catalyst in helping to change attitudes, being a direct contributor in influencing the debate around national parks, being a supporter of best practice in managing park resources and being a campaigner against bad practice and threats to the integrity of Scotland's national parks.

Rationale for Development of SCNP

SCNP has a strong view, drawn from years of experience in policy formulation and direct management, on what is required to secure sound stewardship of national park heritage. It is the only voluntary organisation with the necessary background in land use planning which focuses on the national park model of conservation. If it ceased to exist, other voluntary sector organisations would have to add this additional and often specialist activity to their portfolios.

It is also the only voluntary organisation to occupy the role of national park champion in Scotland in the same way as its sister organisation in England and Wales. By focusing on land use issues, the organisation is occupying a niche in Scotland where natural and cultural heritage come together. Good stewardship of the country's heritage requires good planning systems together with sustainable land arid water managemcnt policies. Such an approach is best secured through strong and independent park authorities with full planning powers.

Potential national parks, which will most likely develop from the current range of sites designated as National Scenic Areas (NSAs), also require to be monitored and safeguarded. SCNP can usefully mobilise public opinion and campaign for such protection within NSAs to fulfil its role as a voluntary guardian.

Opportunities for public benefit flow from the national park model of managing our natural and cultural heritage. Not only does it enable a strong focus to be placed on rural issues, but it includes direct economic benefits such as that from green tourism or environmentally friendly farming and forestry. The need to find new ways of achieving development within national parks, using sustainability criteria, places them in the forefront of the environmental movement, and it will take much effort from government, agencies and the voluntary sector to create the necessary shift in public attitudes to allow this to happen. SCNP has a unique opportunity to contribute to this process as the champion for national parks in Scotland.

Current Values

SCNP values are based on the premise that the highest quality landscapes available within a nation should be secured against intrusive human development. In a real sense, they should be conserved for the recreational and spiritual enjoyment of present and future generations, while still available for existing, sustainable land management under different ownerships, including private ownerships. These values also support the view that a complex system of adjoining ownerships and functions requires an integrated and holistic approach to management for the benefit of the whole.

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