Protected Areas

Regional Parks

Regional Parks are large areas of attractive countryside which lie close to Scotland’s larger towns and cities, and which are therefore popular for outdoor recreation. By their nature, these Parks often include landscapes which are considered to be of regional importance, and can also provide important havens for wildlife.

Regional Parks are designated and managed by local authorities, with support from SNH. The Parks have been created in order to provide co-ordinated management for recreation alongside other land uses such as farming and forestry. There are currently three Regional Parks in Scotland at Clyde Muirshiel, the Pentland Hills and in Fife (covering the Lomond Hills and Lochore). 'While still formally designated, the management of the Loch Lomond Regional Park has been taken over by the National Park Authority as part of the larger Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.