UK Nation­al Parks Con­fer­ence 2026

Wed­nes­day 16 to Fri­day 18 Septem­ber 2026 Mac­don­ald Aviemore Resort, Aviemore

Our theme: nature and people thriv­ing together

This year’s theme is inspired by the Gael­ic word Dùthchas, which encom­passes ideas of kin­ship, her­it­age and con­nec­tions between nature, people and place. The word has inspired the five-year Cairngorms 2030 pro­gramme, which is put­ting the power to tackle the nature and cli­mate crisis in the hands of the people who live, vis­it and work in the Cairngorms Nation­al Park.

Our ven­ue: Mac­don­ald Aviemore Resort

Loc­ated in the heart of the Nation­al Park, Mac­don­ald Aviemore Resort is loc­ated just a five-minute walk from Aviemore train sta­tion on the High­land Main Line. It is also a stone’s throw from the A9, with Inverness to the north and Perth to the south.

Address: Mac­don­ald High­land Resort, Aviemore, High­land, PH22 1PN Web­site: https://​mac​don​ald​ho​tels​.co​.uk/​a​v​i​emore

Our spon­sors

We are grate­ful for the sup­port of Scot­tish and South­ern Elec­tri­city Net­works (SSEN) and Tar­mac for help­ing make this event happen.

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About the UK Nation­al Parks Conference

The 2026 con­fer­ence will focus on:

• How nation­al parks and pro­tec­ted areas can deliv­er for nature and people in a rap­idly chan­ging world.
• The oppor­tun­it­ies and risks linked to nat­ur­al cap­it­al mar­kets and large-scale land-use change.
• Ambi­tious res­tor­a­tion tar­gets, includ­ing wood­land expan­sion, peat­land res­tor­a­tion and rewild­ing initiatives.
• Col­lab­or­at­ive work across the UK’s nation­al parks, sup­por­ted by shared car­bon and nature audits through Small World Consulting.

Draft pro­gramme

Wed­nes­day 16 September

13:00 Check-in and networking

Meet partners, sponsors and other stakeholders (Conference Centre Foyer)

14:30 Open­ing and welcome

Cabinet Secretary, Scottish Government

15:00 Key­note address

Prof David Reay (University of Edinburgh, Just Transition and Green Economy)

15:10 Pan­el dis­cus­sion and Q&A

Deborah Long (Scottish Environment LINK), Fiona Milden (Oxygen
Conservation), Jonnie Hall (NFU Scotland) and Sarah Jane Laing
(Scottish Land and Estates)

16:10 Con­ver­sa­tion with Craig Ben­nett (CEO of Wild­life Trust) 16:45 Spon­sor address 17:05 Clos­ing remarks 18:30 Jour­ney on the Strath­spey Rail­way (as fea­tured on BBC’s The Traitors)

Thursday 17 September

08:30 Field trips

Choice of themed field trips across the National Park, with a focus on our
theme of 'people and nature thriving together'

16:30 Arrive back in Aviemore

Free time to relax and explore the town

18:30 Drinks recep­tion

At Macdonald Aviemore Resort

19:30 Form­al dinner 20:30 Ceilidh

Fri­day 18 September

09:15 Wel­come

Photos and reflections from previous day's visit

09:30 Work­shops

Workshop 1 – wildfire management
Workshop 2 – water management
Workshop 3 – National Parks Partnership
Workshop 4 – widening participation

11:30 Cof­fee break 12:00 Wrap up and feedback

Discussion on the opportunities and challenges ahead

12:30 Close of conference

Handover from Cairngorms to Pembrokeshire Coast, hosts of the 2028 event

Fur­ther information

If you would like to book a place, or have any ques­tions about the event, please con­tact us on enquiries@​cairngorms.​co.​uk or call +44 (0) 1479 873 535.