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Advocacy
We are passionate advocates for the heritage cared for by us, and others, across Scotland.
Scotland’s beautiful landscapes, important habitats, historic buildings and priceless collections are worth speaking up for: they are vital for the wellbeing of the planet and for ourselves, bringing in billions of pounds to our economy and providing places and spaces where we can learn about the past and escape the pressures of the present. The National Trust for Scotland has a wide range of charitable purposes: conservation of nature, the historic environment and cultural heritage; along with public access, learning and enjoyment.
Traditionally, we’ve protected places by acquiring them and holding onto them for all time, but such is the scale of threats that we need to find other ways to offer protection too. While we support measures to reach carbon net zero, we don’t support massive new energy infrastructure landing in sensitive habitats and places of natural beauty – the very places mitigating climate change is supposed to save. We also speak out about the ecological and visual damage that industrial, telecoms and housing developments in the wrong places can do to the marine and terrestrial environments, and the needless loss of historic architecture thanks to poor planning decisions and skewed tax systems.
We speak loudly when we need to, but we also work behind the scenes, encouraging administrations to take different courses and make better judgements about policies and legislation that favour the heritage we all care about.
There’s more information below on some of our current work.
Explore further
Research
Spanning historical reports to specialist studies of our landscapes and built heritage, the National Trust for Scotland undertakes a wide variety of research.
National Planning Framework
The National Trust for Scotland campaigns for better protections for our cultural and natural heritage, and for communities to gain the maximum benefit from them.
Wild land
We have recently updated our own wild land policy, setting out definitions, opportunities and challenges, as well as how we will manage our own areas of wild land.
Marine and coastal
We campaign for better protection for our seabeds, better management of our Marine Protected Areas, and a precautionary approach to new fish farm developments.
Environmental protections
Post-Brexit, the National Trust for Scotland has been campaigning to maintain and enhance environmental protections.
Geodiversity
Scotland’s geodiversity underpins our heritage, and plays a pivotal role in supporting Scotland to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Culture strategy
Scotland is home to many forms of culture, and the National Trust for Scotland has contributed to the development of the new national culture strategy.