Summer 2009 - Scottish Natural Heritage

You’ll come across national parks
pretty much all over the world.
Some 6,500 national parks and
similarly protected areas cover
about 12% of the Earth’s surface
– that’s about a million square
kilometres!
However, Scotland joined the national
parks club quite late in the day, despite
the fact we boast some of the planet’s
fi nest natural environments. The world’s
earliest national park was established
in 1872 (Yellowstone in America), while
Scotland’s fi rst came along only some
seven years ago.
It’s a little ironic that we joined so
late, given that it was a Scot, John Muir,
who became known as the ‘Father
of the American National Parks’. He
infl uenced the American government
to create their fi rst fi ve national parks
– including Yosemite and the Grand
Canyon.
But, whatever the reasons for our
tardy approach, the parks are now very
much part of the nation’s natural and
cultural heritage. Loch Lomond & The
Trossachs became our initial national
park in 2002 and the Cairngorms
followed a year later. The parks are a
big part of Scotland’s national identity
as they represent some of this country’s
most iconic landscapes and show how
people and places can thrive together.
Indeed, Scottish national parks
differ from many others around the
world as they have social and economic
development aims alongside those
of conservation, understanding and
enjoyment of the countryside. This is
an explicit recognition of those who live
and work in the national parks.
The parks are a big
part of Scotland’s
national identity
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The Nature of Scotland