Bog Myrtle & Peat

Now that National Parks are on the agenda here in Galloway, the conversation has begun to generate some momentum. The local newspaper carried reporting on progress announced by the Minister alongside a photograph of the campaign group as they celebrated the “good news”. But there’s still a great flabbiness about what it actually means – Mairi Gougeon was keen to reassure us that “it’s just a proposal”, but the Scottish Greens simultaneously tweeted the headline “Galloway selected to be Scotland’s third National Park” as if it’s a done deal. The message is skewed and unnerving, and while some people say it’s “pending consultation”, others suggest that it’s now a certainty.

The photo which accompanied that article was revealing, not least because it showed the campaigners in a uniformly silver demographic. There’s no personal criticism here, but it’s difficult to see how any one group of people can tap into and mobilise consensus on behalf of all. If it turns out that people who have retired to Galloway want a National Park, that’s an interesting point in itself – but it doesn’t say much for other groups who are working or growing up here.

The same article also captured concern from the local branch of the National Farmers’ Union which has expressed outraged resistance to the proposals. In fact, some of their rhetoric has been so inflammatory that it’s begun to lose credibility; through an eruption of volcanic steam, this group could easily lose their seat at any conversation which must now follow. Their concerns are very understandable, but there is also room for local farmers to do more for biodiversity and the environment. It doesn’t help to scream at the slightest whiff of change, and yet it’s equally clear that a National Park threatens farmers and land managers with many negatives – and offers precisely zero in return. 

It’s useful to note that if farmers have become the focal point for resistance to the designation, foresters have been almost silent. The proposed boundary for a new National Park in Galloway includes some of the worst and most heavily degraded landscapes in Scotland, and forestry has been the driving force behind much of that damage. If you were being cynical, you could argue that so much of this forestry is now owned and managed by foreign investment groups that they simply don’t know that Galloway has been put forward for designation. But if farmers dislike the idea of oversight and bureaucracy, you’d think that foresters would be even more worried.

It’s generally agreed that the current system of land ownership and forestry in Galloway is profoundly unfair. A National Park could be a great tool to address and improve this systemic problem – but throughout all these tensions, it’s also clear that Galloway pumps a tremendous amount of itself into the Scottish economy each year. Our farmland wildlife is knackered because we produce almost half of Scotland’s milk. Our moorlands are wrecked because we are the centre of commercial woodland expansion which looks so good on manifestos and election pledges. Hundreds of wind turbines churn through our clouds to produce electricity which Scotland can turn for a profit. In terms of infrastructure, we get only enough investment to ensure that we keep making our disproportionately vast contribution to the national purse – in that sense, our problems are well known to the Scottish Government. We struggle because they’ve taken a calculated decision to weigh national productivity against regional impoverishment.

So if it’s not in the Government’s interests to give us a National Park which overturns that status quo, we shouldn’t expect a National Park to put the brakes on our land being sold to foreign investment groups and pension funds. Nor should we hope that a National Park would give us greater say in how and where renewable development schemes are sited and approved. We can’t even ask that massive intensification of grassland and dairy production should slow down. We exist to meet commercial and industrial targets set by the Government, so you have to wonder what a National Park could actually do to help us here. Proposals brought forth by the group which has campaigned to create a National Park look great – but while it’s easy to generate a cool wishlist, it’s difficult to balance our hopes against national priorities. 

There’s a risk that this National Park will be formed without any real power or strength to address our serious and enduring environmental problems, and it could easily end up being a sop to boost tourism. But there has to be a point at which glamping pods reach saturation point, and we can’t all ride the bow-wave of enthusiasm for yurts forever. If you don’t make money from holidaymakers, it seems like you’re right to be anxious about the designation. And it’s no real argument to say “if you don’t make money from holidaymakers, get ready to start”. This is a step that we should be taking together – we shouldn’t be chasing the outcome from day one; we should be making something that takes us where we want to go. 

Given that the topic of National Parks is now being circulated amongst my friends and neighbours, it’s clear that the case in favour of designation is absolutely unproven. I still haven’t met anybody who feels passionately supportive of the idea – and most people agree that if it’s just a tourism gimmick, it can get lost. But worryingly, several people have misunderstood the announcement of Galloway’s candidacy as a foregone conclusion – they’re unlikely to engage with the coming consultation because mixed messages and confusion seem to suggest that we’re already past the point of no return. You can see why it’s unclear, and it really hasn’t helped to advance the discussion. For what it’s worth, I believe that a custom-built, home-grown National Park could be good for farming, but this point hasn’t landed and it won’t land if the conversation carries on as it has started.

It’s likely that public opinion is quietly, calmly against the idea of a new National Park in Galloway – but it’ll be interesting to watch the debate unfold if the current battleline of “retired people vs furious farmers” is allowed to deepen and heat up.