The creation of a Galloway national park could be a “game changer” for the region’s economy.
The process for creating a third national park in Scotland is under way, with NatureScot working on a selection framework.
The issue was debated at Holyrood on Tuesday.
Labour MSP Colin Smyth cited a report from the Galloway National Park Association which claimed such status could add up to 500,000 new visits a year to the region, boosting the local economy by up to £60 million and creating as many as 1,400 jobs.
He said: “That could be game changing for the local economy in one of the most peripheral parts of Scotland, whose challenges of low pay and outward migration of young people are well documented.
“I know that some people may, understandably, ask at a time of public spending pressures whether we can afford to spend money on new national parks. Given that national parks bring in between £10 and £17 of investment to an area for every pound that is spent, the question is whether we can afford not to do that if we want to deliver the economic and environmental recovery that we need.”
SNP MSP Emma Harper agreed national parks can bring benefits but a new one “must have the right model, and it must involve and gain the support of the local community”.
She said: “A park could attract visitors and allow the south west’s fragile rural economy to rebuild from the pandemic and thrive, while helping Scotland to tackle the biodiversity and climate emergency challenges.
“However any new national park must not be created simply for the sake of it.
“The process must be done in co-operation with the communities that it is intended to serve, and it must not create further bureaucratic or restrictive approaches to issues such as planning, new development or the many new ideas that will support addressing biodiversity and climate issues.”
Ms Harper said the Galloway National Park Association’s research discovered many people felt a national park would benefit the region’s economy and create jobs, as well as provide opportunities for young people.
But she also highlighted concerns from NFU Scotland that national park status might create barriers and potential bureaucracy.
Galloway and West Dumfries Tory MSP Finlay Carson said it was important to have “the right model in the right place”.
He pointed out the idea of a Galloway National Park was supported by councils and MSPs, with online meetings showing 80 per cent of people in favour.
He said: “National park designation, with both a conservation and a sustainable development objective, could really bring transformational change to the area.
“For many, the national park will be where they live and work. The social and economic needs of all communities – in settlements and dispersed across the countryside – must remain paramount.”
