Holyrood committee on fact-finding mission to Cairngorms National Park
Members of a Holyrood committee have been on a fact finding mission to the Cairngorms National Park.
MSPs from the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee have visited three estates in the strath and held a community engagement event to further their scrutiny of the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill.
The visit began in Grantown on Sunday evening (May 11) with a community engagement event held in the offices of the Cairngorms National Park Authority.
MSPs met with a range of local community representatives from the park to discuss the possible impacts of proposals outlined in the Bill aimed at helping to restore nature and protect biodiversity in Scotland.
Members heard views on the introduction of binding biodiversity targets for Scotland; changes to the aims and purposes of national parks; and national park authorities being empowered to issue fixed penalty notices for breaches of byelaws.
Members then visited Seafield, Dorback and Abernethy estates yesterday to learn more about different initiatives to tackle biodiversity loss and conserve the natural environment.
Measures taking place include native woodland expansion, deer management, natural regeneration, river restoration and natural capital investment.
Committee members in attendance at the event were MSPs Finlay Carson, Tim Eagle, Emma Harper, Mark Ruskell, Rhoda Grant and Elena Whitham.
Committee convener Finlay Carson MSP said: “Meeting with people and groups living and working in the national park has provided us with a deeper understanding of the issues and concerns local people have about how this Bill might impact them and their day-to-day working lives.
“Visiting the estates, we gained fresh insights and important practical detail about how measures in the Bill might impact the land management of estates and what more might be done to help tackle biodiversity loss and conserve the natural environment.
“All of these new perspectives will help us ensure the Bill’s proposals are ’fit for purpose’ to effectively underpin Scotland’s goals of protecting biodiversity and reducing harmful carbon emissions.”
Grant Moir, CNPA chief executive officer, said; “It's important that the development of the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill is informed by a variety of different perspectives, not least those living and working in our national parks.
“We were delighted to host the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee in the Cairngorms and were grateful for the contributions of everyone who attended the event and hosted the site visits.”
The Committee held a call for views which closed on Friday (May 9) and is due to publish responses received over the coming weeks.
Members will now take oral evidence over the coming months before submitting a report to the Scottish Parliament later in the year.
