Since the Scottish Government has abandoned its plan to create a National Park and there is no prospect of that changing in the short to medium term, the Galloway National Park Association has been dissolved.
Rob Lucas, former GNPA chair, said: “The former trustees of GNPA are proud to have fought for a National Park to underpin a better future for the area, providing a rare opportunity to put Galloway in the spotlight.
“We are grateful to all our members and supporters and those who supported a National Park in the consultations, including those who looked beyond their own interests and gave thought to Galloway as a whole.
“Those councillors who provided steadfast support throughout are worthy of our special thanks.
“It is frustrating that a genuine discussion on the merits, or otherwise, of a National Park for Galloway never really took place. Facts and details were harder to come by than they should have been, and it was even harder to agree on their interpretation.
“It is regrettable that the process pitched sectors and individuals against each other whilst Scottish Government and its various agencies retreated to the fence.
“It was puzzling at the time but it is now clear that its commitment to creating a National Park had been quietly dropped. Perhaps that was the key piece of information that might have unlocked a more civilised conversation.”
With the Government having turned down a National Park, The Reporter made recommendations to address clear and urgent issues:
- sustained investment in access and visitor management across the area
- a new plan for the Galloway Forest Park area with greater emphasis on people and nature alongside commercial forestry operations
- completion of the coastal path as a key visitor attraction for the area
- a renewed commitment to the National Scenic Areas
- a better resourced Biosphere with a stronger focus on nature recovery
- on-going support for the work of the Solway Firth Partnership.
Making any of these happen without the long-term funding of a National Park will be harder but the environment will always underpin Galloway’s future.
Our councillors, MSPs and others need to come forward and work together for the benefit of our next generations whose future now looks increasingly bleak.
Some are already working hard to make this happen so get behind them, because we need all parts of Galloway to move on from just surviving to actively thriving.
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