What is the role of Scotland’s National Parks?

Scotland’s National Parks are home to internationally renowned landscapes and nature and they bring significant benefits to their local communities.

Our National Parks work closely with landowners and managers, local businesses and third sector organisations to support thriving local economies, manage millions of visitors and protect the natural environment for the benefit of current and future generations. They play a significant role in generating and leveraging investment, creating new employment opportunities and bringing communities together to address local priorities.

A good example of this is the recent announcement of £42.3m funding within Cairngorms National Park. This funding will support 20 projects over 5 years that will benefit people’s health and wellbeing, develop sustainable transport solutions and help Cairngorms to become the UK’s first net zero National Park.

National Parks also collaborate with local partners to tackle the climate and nature crises. In Loch Lomond & the Trossachs, the ‘Future Nature’ partnership is taking forward an essential and highly ambitious programme of work to protect, conserve and restore nature within the National Park. And in Cairngorms, partners and land managers are working together on Cairngorms Connect – the UK’s largest habitat restoration project - which stretches across 600 square kilometres within the National Park.