What strategies can be put in place to reduce the conflicts between land users in a Glaciated Upland Landscape
Gore/blood warning at 1min 33 seconds.
National parks are designed to conserve the natural habitat and promote sustainable development within an area such as the Cairngorms.
Digital Workbook or paper Jotter Task
Read the information below on the Cairngorms National park.
Take notes of the 3-5 most important points about the purpose of any National Park
Write down 1 key fact about the Cairngorm National Park
Aim
The aims of Scotland’s National Parks are designed to balance land use and conservation.
The popularity of the Cairngorms puts pressure on the landscape as ever-increasing numbers of visitors result in more air, noise, water, litter, and visual pollution and also conflict between different land users. Tourism accounts for 80% of the economy in the area.
A National Park is a place of outstanding natural beauty that the government has decided should be protected and this fragile alpine environment was designated one in 2003. The Cairngorms is Britain’s largest National Park. It covers an area of 4,528 km2 and is twice the size of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.
The aim of the National Park (there are now 13 in England and 2 in Scotland. Dorset is not one of them) is to conserve the natural habitat (landscape, plants, and animals) whilst encouraging sustainable development which includes encouraging tourists to visit the area. See opposite for a more detailed summary of key aims.
The National Park is protected by law but many conservation groups also take an interest in preserving the natural landscape and managing its use. See http://cairngorms.co.uk/look-after for further information.
Copy these into your workbook:
Planning permission – they turn down any scheme that will cause conflicts between tourists and local people.
Traffic congestion – try to reduce using traffic management e.g. one way systems, pedestrianisation, car parking.
Education – information centres to educate and inform people on looking after the environment.
Zoning – put conflicting tourist activities in different areas e.g. fishing and jet skis.
Housing Control – restrict numbers of outsiders buying up property as second homes. e.g. make housing available only for locals.
Conservation – reduce footpath erosion, repair walls, fence off tree planting.
A Different Solution
Excessive litter is not always about people throwing their rubbish away. At popular car parks and picnic sites, bins quickly overflow as people tidy up.
The solution to this is actually to remove bins, as this has been found to encourage people to take their rubbish home. This increases the chances of recycling & means overflowing bins in the huge Cairngorms National Park are not so common a sight.
There are lots of different strategies that groups or governing bodies such as the National Parks Authority can do to reduce the conflict between land users in an area. These can be very generic such as putting up signs or very specific such as buying land to protect it from erosion or damage.
Digital Workbook or paper Jotter Task
Below there are 10 conflicts and management strategies listed
These are split into Farmers vs Tourists and Locals vs Tourists
Copy these into your workbook or download the worksheet and match up the conflict with the correct management strategy.
Check your answers after you have finished to see if you are correct.