A NATIONAL park in the Highlands is set to clamp down on campfires after a new seasonal byelaw was introduced.
The Cairngorms National Park Authority's (CNPA) board has introduced a seasonal fire management byelaw over fears of increasing wildfires in Scotland with more drought periods predicted by climate modelling.
A public consultation ran for 10-weeks and received 1664 responses from residents, businesses, land managers and visitors – 79% of respondents supported the introduction of a fire management byelaw.
The byelaw will now enter a formal public 12-week consultation in September before the wording is finalised and then brought to ministers at Holyrood for approval.
The CNPA said the move is part of “a bid to reduce the risk to people, nature and property” caused by wildfires.
It is estimated that the park is home to more than 18,000 residents and sees around two million visitors each year.
Sandy Bremner, convener at the CNPA, said: “We’re grateful to the more than 1600 people who responded to the consultation earlier this year.
“It’s clear from these responses that there is strong support for a fire management byelaw, with 79% of people in favour.
“We considered a range of different options in terms of the type of byelaw to take forward.
“We believe that a seasonal byelaw combines the best elements of what people were looking for – relative simplicity for communication and understanding, and not being too heavy handy in covering months when there is far less recreational fire activity.”
