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National parks should unite, not divide, communities | Letter
Dr Rose O’Neill of the Campaign for National Parks responds to an article on the controversy over Scotland’s new national park in GallowayThe designation of new national parks seems to be the latest frontier in the culture wars (‘I’ve been compared to Donald Trump’: how neighbour turned on neighbour over Scotland’s new national park, 11 March). Your article draws on the ill-will whipped up by some, but overlooks the evidence and the legacy of designation decisions made decades ago. It quotes statistics from our health check report, but what isn’t mentioned is the finding that nature decline in national parks is happening in spite of the designation, not because of it. The key conclusion of the report is that national parks need greater power and funding in the face of the global climate and biodiversity crisis.In Scotland, national parks are leading the way – Cairngorms Connect is the UK’s largest habitat restoration across 600 square kilometres. And evidence from Scottish Environment Link found that the two Scottish national parks generate more than £700m per year, investing in nature, landscape and community regeneration, supporting hundreds of jobs directly and thousands through the wider economy. Continue reading...
Dr Rose O’Neill of the Campaign for National Parks responds to an article on the controversy over Scotland’s new national park in Galloway
The designation of new national parks seems to be the latest frontier in the culture wars (‘I’ve been compared to Donald Trump’: how neighbour turned on neighbour over Scotland’s new national park, 11 March). Your article draws on the ill-will whipped up by some, but overlooks the evidence and the legacy of designation decisions made decades ago. It quotes statistics from our health check report, but what isn’t mentioned is the finding that nature decline in national parks is happening in spite of the designation, not because of it. The key conclusion of the report is that national parks need greater power and funding in the face of the global climate and biodiversity crisis.
In Scotland, national parks are leading the way – Cairngorms Connect is the UK’s largest habitat restoration across 600 square kilometres. And evidence from Scottish Environment Link found that the two Scottish national parks generate more than £700m per year, investing in nature, landscape and community regeneration, supporting hundreds of jobs directly and thousands through the wider economy. Continue reading...
