We’ve been told that Galloway is the Scottish Government’s “preferred site” for a new National Park. And with that, it seems like the deal is done – because while there will now be a consultation to gather information and assess local interest in the idea, the cart’s gone before the horse. The Government has promised to establish a new park, and now they’ve said they want it to be here. From this point onwards, there are no backups or other horses in the race. We’re getting it… and the next step is to ask if we want it.
The National Park campaign has been driven by an extremely small number of people who pose questions which generally tend towards a feeling of support. I used to be involved with the group, but the truth is that we really have no idea what people think about a National Park in Galloway. For my part, I don’t know anybody who wants this designation. That’s not to say that we’re all dead against it – only that it hasn’t crossed our minds. It’s not a relevant topic of conversation in our day to day lives, and there are quite a few people who oppose the idea for reasons which feel eminently sensible. It remains to be seen what’ll happen if the consultation discovers massive opposition to the plan – because if Galloway says “No”, the government still has to deliver on its pledge to create a new National Park in Scotland by 2026. Having axed all other contenders, will they renege on their original pledge? Will they revisit the shortlist to look again at other candidates, knowing that there may not be time to properly consider anybody else? Or will we just be designated anyway because people in Galloway obviously don’t know what’s good for them.
Of course it’s a tremendous opportunity to do an amazing amount of good in Galloway. Having lived my entire life here and worked for fifteen years in conservation across the southwest, I am thrilled by the possibilities for birds and wildlife. But any park in Galloway would need to respond to local issues; local needs and local experiences. It couldn’t just be based on tourism, and it couldn’t descend in a prefabricated packet from the heavens, rolling out protocols copied or conjured from elsewhere. It would have to be our own. In this, the process has faltered at the first hurdle – we’re being told that it’s happening before we’ve actually asked for it.
Maybe we do have an opportunity to design a National Park which really works for Galloway, but this first step has felt surprising and inorganic. I shouldn’t be on the fence about it, but I am. And I’m not just speaking for myself when I say that it feels like now would be the perfect moment to begin a serious conversation about what a National Park would mean for Galloway – not a phoney publicity opportunity disguised as a conversation, but a real attempt to assess what people want. If we could discuss it properly and build consensus in favour of a park which delivered for wildlife and rural communities, I’d be completely on board with the idea. Instead, the issue has been tossed into our laps and we’re being allowed to discuss it while we wait for it to happen.
Many of my friends and neighbours will be engaging with the idea of designation for the first time over the next couple of days as news filters out into the area. They will have no idea what it means or why it’s happening. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re uncomfortable with the idea simply because it seems to have come from nowhere. Forget the technical reality of designation and the many hurdles still to cross – it feels like we’re already too late to think about whether we wanted it or not.
Bog Myrtle & Peat 
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