National Scenic Areas - background

National Scenic Areas (NSAs) were first identified in 1978 by Scottish Natural Heritage's predecessor, the Countryside Commission for Scotland. Information about how they were selected and a summary of each one can be found in the Commission's original report Scotland's Scenic Heritage  .

In December 2010 NSAs were designated under new legislation.  This  defines them as areas of 'outstanding scenic value in a national context' for which special protection measures are required.

They are broadly equivalent to the Areas of Outstanding Beauty   (AONBs) which are found in England, Wales & Northern Ireland. NSAs are also recognised by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Category V Protected Landscapes  .

Scottish Natural Heritage policy

A summary of Scottish Natural Heritage's policy on National Scenic Areas can be found here.

Some of the current issues relating to NSAs can be found in Proceedings from a seminar on NSAs  in March 2006 (discussing current NSA issues).

An overview of the NSA designation, including its history can be found in Scottish Natural Heritage's Advice to Government    (1999).

Management Strategies

In 1985 the then Countryside Commission for Scotland chose the Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon National Scenic Area to pilot the development of policies for the conservation and management of the NSA.

This led to the concept of 'management strategies', documents which list the qualities that makes each NSA special, and summarise the action needed to safeguard this specialness. They are produced in full consultation with the people who live and work in the NSA. To date, only the three NSAs in Dumfries & Galloway have active strategies. Details of these are given on the relevant Dumfries and Galloway Council   webpage.

NSAs and the planning system

The special qualities of NSAs are safeguarded through the local authority planning system , with Scottish Natural Heritage acting in an advisory capacity.