A National Park will encourage our Ministers, Enterprise and Rural agencies, our MSPs, our Councils and our communities to resolve any potential conflicts of ideas and interests in support of our common good

SOSE, Rural Affairs and National Park potential conflict of ideas. SOSE support business from Stranraer to Berwick, which includes the proposed National Park area. SOSE are discussing the idea that a National Park divides communities and with SOSE support for GSA Biosphere; South Scotland Destination Alliance SSDA and National Capital Innovation Zone NCIZ, that a National Park is divisive and unnecessary as initiatives are already in place.

SOSE support for our GSA Biosphere is both far sighted and important but GSA Biosphere running out of funds in 6 weeks time, highlights the need for long term funding commitments to support long term structural reform and infrastructure. National Parks Scotland Act 2000, provides for this.

We value the innovation role of Kate Forbes and SOSE to invest in the launch phase of initiatives for Galloway Ayrshire as critically important. SOSE should be encouraged to hand over projects once mature, to free SOSE resources and energies to create new initiatives for Galloway Ayrshire.

We encourage seamless integration between SOSE and our National Park and we would encourage Kate Forbes, Mairi Gougeon, SOSE and NautreScot to work with us towards Galloway Ayrshire 2030 Vision that recognises the valuable contribution of both Ministries, both agencies and our hard pressed local authorities.

Areas of unresolved conflict within our communities: Academics within NatureScot and Hutton Institute and other environment groups wish to impose ideas that are largely untested against recognised livelihood models; eg restorative farming, peatland restoration; stopping extractive land management and other well intentioned initiatives. Farmers are implacably opposed to imposition of unworkable regimes that threaten their income and livelihood. Farmers fear that a National Park will be used by NatureScot and Ministers to impose these or similar solutions, overriding any checks and balances and democratic controls that can be put in place.

Promises opportunities and doubts

Galloway Ayrshire competed with 9 other regions in Scotland to become the next National Park. We were declared as the successful candidate in July 2024. Scottish Ministers provide £10m annually funding to each two existing Scottish National Parks. Our Galloway Ayrshire National Park could benefit from between £3m and £10m.core funding, with the ability to raise further funding due to its status (as is done by the existing National Parks).

Informal evidence from LLTNP suggests that Ministers and NatureScot increasingly may wish to use National Park governance to further national and government environmental targets in preference to helping towards community and visitor experience and visitor economy goals.

We recognise that a National Park must produce certain deliverables for the Nation; we see these as “Ministers deliverables” that are over and above the “chosen area” deliverables for our communities, nature and our visitor economy.

Ministers and NatureScot have been unable to confirm what total funds are on offer or indeed how Our Galloway Ayrshire 2030 Vision conflicts with Ministers and NatureScot objectives and indeed how much funding, if any will remain to address our community “chosen area” deliverables.

This concern needs to be overcome in an open and transparent dialogue.

Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire, our hard pressed councils; all of whom are suffering budget cuts, struggle to provide the levels of financial support that rural and coastal Galloway and Ayrshire require. We totally support our councils and in turn we are asking our councils to support our communities with input and encouragement to help us achieve our Galloway Ayrshire 2030 Vision.

We are calling on Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire councils together with other key agencies including SOSE and the GSA Biosphere to come together with us to negotiate terms with Mairi Gougeon and Kate Forbes that can enable a National Park that can deliver an evolving Galloway Ayrshire rural Vision for 2030 and 2035 - a Vision - that we can all support through resolving matters of funding, governance and any potential conflicts of ideas both with key sectors and interests.

We encourage all communities and individuals to help our Galloway Ayrshire 2030 Vision evolve and to work together to deliver this Mission by gaining the maximum funding and support for long term much needed initiatives. All of Our Galloway Ayrshire 2030 Vision is up for scrutiny and improvements.

We have conviction that low overheads, governance through election; focussed objectives and tough talk with funders, supporters and those who naturally and sometimes rightly resist change, can lead to hard won positive outcomes and real 2030 and 2035 deliverables for all of us.