Q3:  Why does the size, character and identity of the area warrant designation as a National Park?  [NB: the appraisal framework also includes coherence here.] 1000 words allowed

Galloway National Park is centred on the south-west corner of Scotland shown here again. Supporting maps show:

 Size:  The indicative Galloway National Park area is 3,000km2. This size means that environmental and landscape challenges can be addressed at scale. Issues such as climate change impacts and biodiversity loss need long term focus and funding. Galloway National Park can achieve this by working across multiple boundaries in different ownerships and bringing together individual schemes and initiatives, whilst at the same time responding to local needs and concerns.

The northern edge is largely defined by the slopes of the rugged Granite Uplands, centred on the Merrick.  The eastern edge is the Dee Valley, beyond which the landscape is characterised by rolling hills and is increasingly Southern Upland in character.  The south-eastern arm extends to the coastal granite hills of Screel and Criffel and on to the River Nith. The remaining boundary is the sea to south and west, extending almost to Girvan. Placing the Park within the wider UNESCO Biosphere brings greater geographic coverage (9,000 km2), provides an essential buffer zone and brings in the marine environment out to the 12NM statutory limit.

Character:  Three elements give Galloway National Park its distinctive character:

1. The Granite Uplands and associated foothills which separate our proposed area from the rest of Scotland. Much of this landscape has designations for ecology and nature including RAMSAR and National Nature Reserve sites. It forms the bulk of the Galloway Forest Park, Core and Buffer of the UNESCO Biosphere and International Dark Sky Park and the majority of the Galloway Hills RSA; the inland component of the Solway Coast RSA and the Merrick Wildland.

2. With its peninsulas, coastal flats and cliffs, the coastal fringe has multiple designations including Ramsar, SAC and SPA sites and SSSIs. There are 3 coastal NSAs (Fleet Valley, East Stewartry Coast and the Nith Estuary) and three RSAs. It is an area rich in scheduled ancient monuments and has good examples of traditional and regenerative farming practice.

3. Characterised by lowland mosses, narrow wooded valleys, and the flooded Dee valley, the land between the uplands and the coast is significantly nature designated with RAMSAR, SPA and SAC sites, and multiple SSSIs. This includes the Mochrum Lochs RSA and the inland section of the Fleet Valley NSA. The Galloway plateau moorland between the Granite Uplands and the west coast contains the River Bladnoch SAC and outstanding archaeological assemblages to the west. This area is rich in designations for heritage and nature and has great potential for the creation of nature networks and achieving 30x30 as set out in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, connecting the coast to the hills. This transition zone also includes extensive drumlin pastures, (key to the nationally and locally important dairy industry), the more densely settled areas, and the majority of the designed landscapes. 

Two Natural Heritage Futures areas cover Galloway.  The Wigtown Machars and Outer Solway includes almost all of the coast and the coastal strip up to 200 metres.  Its main priorities are to address the loss of habitats and landscape diversity caused by the intensification of agriculture, and to improve rivers and valleys for biodiversity.  The western half of the Western Southern Uplands and Inner Solway covers all the remaining land, except the raised beach and cliffs of the Ayrshire coast, north of Ballantrae.

Forest parks are the jewel in the crown of Scotland’s forests, playing a vital role in the nation’s economy and attracting visitors from all over the world.  Galloway Forest Park is the largest in Britain, an amazing resource for residents and visitors alike, from providing direct access to the 7stanes mountain bike trail network to regular sightings of red squirrels and red deer.  The Park consists of significant areas of commercial conifer crops, and historic planting practises have had a negative impact on our biodiversity. However, current FLS plans now focus on sustainable forest management, restoring functional peat and increased planting of broadleaf species. Ensuring a resilient forestry industry that also delivers increasing biodiversity and community benefits is a key priority for the South of Scotland Regional Economic Partnership Setting the new National Park within the national Natural Capital Innovation Zone will provide a geographically focused area to explore new methodologies and create blended and private finance models for delivery.

Coherent identity:  The close and longstanding relationship between landscape, nature, land use and community development, together with almost continuous habitation of the coastal strip for at least 6,000 years, have intertwined to create a unique identity in Galloway.  This is evidenced by the overlap within the proposed boundary of natural and cultural designations, contrasting sharply with the areas outside.

There is a great sense of wildness and elemental nature in the vast open areas where land can only be accessed on foot, bike or by boat.  At times it feels like an island with its complex and lengthy coastline and views, not only inward to our own uplands, but also outward to the Lake District, the Isle of Man and Ireland. Isolation caused by the moors and hills is still reflected in our road networks. The sea, formerly the main route for trade, remains an important resource and provides access to the island of Ireland.

All of this has created a strong and tangible Galloway identity as showcased by the Gallovidian dialect, wide ranging use of Galloway in its landscape from the Rhins of Galloway to the Galloway Glens and the Mull of Galloway to the Galloway Hills and its many cultural references.  As John Buchan had Richard Hannay say in The 39 Steps, when resolved to hide: “I fixed on Galloway as the best place to go”. The quality of both the light and the landscape has long drawn artists to this area creating a unique cultural identity for the region.