Environmental Strategy Response

Cairngorms Nation­al Park Author­ity 14 The Square Grant­own on Spey PH26 3HG

T: 01479 873 535

29 Septem­ber 2025

The Envir­on­ment Strategy Team Scot­tish Gov­ern­ment 3H South Vic­tor­ia Quay Edin­burgh EH6 6QQ

Dear Envir­on­ment Strategy team,

The Park Author­ity is very sup­port­ive of the vis­ion for restor­ing nature, tack­ling cli­mate change and recog­nising the over­whelm­ingly pos­it­ive con­tri­bu­tion this can make to society.

The frame­work of out­comes and path­ways described in the strategy, and the suite of exist­ing policies that the strategy ref­er­ences, are com­pre­hens­ive and include the key pri­or­it­ies and pro­pos­als neces­sary to drive for­ward action.

The Cairngorms Nation­al Park has a sig­ni­fic­ant role to play as a flag­ship for the coordin­ated deliv­ery of policy ambi­tions across the whole of Scot­tish Gov­ern­ment. The four dis­tinct aims must be delivered col­lect­ively, whilst recog­nising the under­pin­ning import­ance of the envir­on­ment and how it sup­ports the eco­nom­ic, social and recre­ation­al value of the Nation­al Park.

The Nation­al Park Part­ner­ship Plan takes a place-based approach to identi­fy­ing region­al pri­or­it­ies to tackle the twin crises and sup­port a fair and just trans­ition. As a plan for the place and not the Park Author­ity, it must neces­sar­ily con­sider and sup­port deliv­ery of the wider policy land­scape to achieve the four aims col­lect­ively across nature,

people and place. Align­ment and cross-ref­er­en­cing with­in the suite of policies the Envir­on­ment Strategy over­arches is cru­cial to deliv­er­ing for people and nature in our Nation­al Parks.

We wel­come the recog­ni­tion of this import­ance in the Envir­on­ment Strategy and look for­ward to fur­ther iter­a­tions of the sup­port­ing plans and policies and how they can be applied to max­im­um effect in sup­port­ing the deliv­ery of the Nation­al Park Part­ner­ship Plan.

Yours sin­cerely

afl

ANDY FORD Dir­ect­or of Nature and Cli­mate Change