Could Fife be home to Scotland's new national park?

Largo Bay near Leven could become Scotland's new national park.

The Scottish Government want to choose at least one new park in the country by 2026 and Fife's already expressed early interest.

Other parts of Scotland that have submitted early interest inlcude:

• Galloway
• Scottish Borders
• Tay Forest
• Lochaber
• Eilean a' Cheo (Skye and Raasay)
• Affric to Alladale
• Glen Affric
• The Lammermuirs
• Loch Awe

For the first time the decision will be community and organisation led, with people now able to submit their proposals before the February 29 (2024) deadline.

The criteria is:

• outstanding national importance due to natural or culture heritage
• a distinctive character and coherent identity
• how National Park status would meet the specific needs of the area
• evidence of local support for the proposal

Detailed guidance has been published and support will be available for any group looking to explore or take forward a proposal.

Visiting Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, Lorna Slater, minister for green skills, circular economy and biodiversity said: “Scotland’s National Parks are among our greatest assets. They are home to internationally renowned landscapes and nature, and provide outstanding opportunities for recreation and local communities. - They also play a crucial role in tackling climate change and protecting our precious natural environment for future generations.

“Now is the time to add to them. We believe that a new National Park should be founded upon local community demand, which is why we are launching this unique nominations process.

“In May we invited early expressions of interest and we have already had a really positive response from communities and organisations across the length and breadth of the country. This is not at all surprising given just how much Scotland has to offer.

“I encourage everyone that is considering putting forward a proposal to read the guidance that we have published on the Scottish Government website, and get in touch to find out about the support available.”

All nominations will be appraised next Spring and investigated in the summer.