Better Places Fund (BPF3) Green Recovery Fund 2022 - Evaluation Report - March 2023

Published: 2023

 

1. Executive Summary

The third round of the Better Places Fund (BPF3) was launched in March 2022, with the essential criterion of visitor management focused staff posts are in place and operational at visitor “hot spot” locations for the peak summer months in 2022 and the primary outcome sought of improved visitor experience, improved visitor behaviours and reduced impact on communities, land managers and the natural and cultural heritage.

A total of 59 applications were received rom 46 organisations, requesting £2,251,581.          

A total of £1,435,885 was awarded to 35 organisations for 48 projects employing 109 seasonal rangers and visitor operations posts (103 FTE) to promote responsible access, support greater care of the environment and reduce the impacts on local communities. The total value of these additional seasonal posts was over £2 million, based on the other cash funding of £216,096 and in-kind contributions of £380,804 indicated in the successful applications.

58% of the projects awarded funding were in the listed “hot spot” areas (North and West Highland, islands and NC500; Highland Perthshire; Cairngorms National Park; Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park; East Lothian coast and the Pentland Hills).  The other successful applications demonstrated significant visitor pressures on the coast, inland water or at Country Parks. BPF3 projects were located in 24 of the 32 local authorities and in both National Park Authority areas. 

A total of 105 staff (96.5 FTE) were recruited, comprising 91 (84 FTE) ranger posts and 14 (12.5 FTE) visitor operations posts.  A total of £1,148,651 was paid in grant claims to 47 projects.  One project that was awarded funding was not able to progress, and three projects were not able to recruit as many seasonal staff as planned.  Quite a few projects spent less than they were offered due to seasonal staff starting later than planned, resulting from the very tight timescale for recruitment following confirmation of funding awards.

The final reports demonstrated numerous examples of the positive impact of the additional staff in dealing with issues on the ground and in preventing issues from occurring or escalating.  Several projects noted that some repeat visitors had remembered site-specific messages from 2021, while others noted the year-on-year improvements due to the extra ‘boots on the ground’. Many projects testified that the seasonal staff presence was well received by the local community.  There were numerous examples of collaboration and co-ordination between different organisations to deal with issues, often building on partnership approaches developed in 2021.

Most visitors were receptive to the discussions with seasonal staff, with positive responses particularly from those who had been less aware of their access responsibilities, though some incidents of abusive and antisocial behaviours and vandalism were reported.  As well as direct engagement with visitors, many projects used on-site signage, posters, leaflets, events, community newsletters and social media to communicate key messages to visitors.  Several projects sought to influence third party websites, apps and social media sites to ensure that pre-visit information was consistent and appropriate. 

While visitor pressures were generally more manageable in 2022, there were some locations where the volume of visitors (particularly campers), and the cumulative impacts over the season, were more than the area could sustain.  Fires, littering (including toileting waste) and parking issues were the other main issues that the seasonal staff dealt with.  Commercial events, wildlife disturbance, livestock worrying/attacks and Avian Flu were significant challenges on some sites.  Improving understanding of responsible access, and addressing irresponsible visitor behaviours, will need ongoing effort and resources.

There were a wide range of additional activities and benefits reported. The Better Places funding has been beneficial in increasing rangering and visitor management skills across Scotland, providing job opportunities in rural areas, empowering community groups, informing management planning, improving sites, connecting people with nature and demonstrating good practice. 

2. Introduction

To support implementation of Scotland’s Visitor Management Strategic Framework, Scottish Ministers asked NatureScot to run a third round of the Better Places Fund (BPF3) in 2022 with a focus on the ‘boots on the ground’ provision that made such a big difference for many communities and land managers in 2021.

BPF3 was to provide support for the employment of seasonal rangers and visitor operations posts, over and above any already budgeted for or in place, to engage with the public and help manage visitor numbers, pressures and behaviours during the 2022 season. Up to £1.5 million was allocated by Scottish Ministers for this round of funding, to be used to support seasonal posts that could be in place in summer 2022.  

This evaluation report provides an overview of the operation of BPF3, and its successes and challenges, using information provided by the grant recipients in their monthly updates and final reports.   Details of the BPF3 awards, the specific purpose of each grant, example media coverage and visitor monitoring data collected are provided in the Appendices. There is also a comparison with 2021.

The BPF3-funded staff supplemented the extra seasonal staff employed by the National Park Authorities, local authorities, Forestry and Land Scotland, NatureScot and Scottish Water, as part of the Scottish Government’s support for sustainable and responsible rural tourism. Along with staff from Police Scotland, these additional staff took a co-ordinated approach to visitor management.

The c.200 additional seasonal staff employed in 2022 represents about a 40% increase in rangering capacity over the summer months (the Scottish Countryside Rangers' Association indicates that around 350 Rangers work for approximately 60 employers in Scotland). 

3. Background

3.1 Aims of the Fund in 2022

Projects must meet the essential criterion:

• Visitor management focused staff posts are in place and operational at visitor “hot spot” locations (listed in 4.2 and derived from the Visitor Management Strategic Framework), for the peak summer months in 2022.

Projects must also contribute to the primary outcome

• Improved visitor experience, improved visitor behaviours and reduced impact on communities, land managers and the natural and cultural heritage.

and contribute to at least three supporting outcomes:

• Communities and interested parties see, or are involved in, positive action to address issues and visitor impacts leading to improvements to local places and visitor experiences.

• Raise public awareness and encourage action to address the impacts that visitors can have on the environment, including climate-related, other visitors’ enjoyment and resident communities.

• Communities, including landowners, land managers, businesses and visitors, are motivated or empowered to help deliver plans and activities in a collaborative way.

• Places under pressure and suffering negative impacts from increased visitation are managed in a sustainable way that supports low impact responsible enjoyment.

• Under-represented and less confident visitors are particularly welcomed and positively supported by the seasonal staff posts.

• Activity aligns with strategic plans for the area or location and helps deliver priority actions.

• Activity that supports the agreed national communications messages for visitor management, including the Scottish Outdoor Access Code key messages.

• Data and evidence that informs NatureScot and its strategic partner agencies, including Scottish Government, about visitor management activity and action applied in 2022.

Full details are available on our website at Better Places Fund.

3.2 Timeline for the Fund in 2022

18 March to 22 April:        BPF3 open for applications

16 to 30 May:                    Application decisions and funding offers issued

1 June to 31 October:       BPF3 project delivery, monthly updates and interim claims

30 November:                   Final reports and claims

4. Operation of the Better Places Green Recovery Fund in 2022

4.1 Seasonal staff

BPF3 funding was awarded to employ 109 seasonal staff dedicated to visitor management, comprising 94 seasonal rangers and 15 visitor operations staff.

A total of 105 staff (96.5 FTE) were recruited, comprising 91 (84 FTE) ranger posts and 14 (12.5 FTE) visitor operations posts.  One project awarded funding did not progress, three projects were not able to recruit as many seasonal staff as planned, and several projects recruited on part-time contracts rather than full-time as intended.  Further details in Appendix 1.

The Fund timeline indicated that projects could start from 1 June 2022 and run through to 31 October 2022.  Many applications gave 1 June as their expected start date for the seasonal staff, and had done as much preparation as possible to try to meet this (e.g. prepared job adverts), though recruitment plans recognised that this depended on timely confirmation of funding and successful candidates being available immediately. 

Funding Offers specified that staff must be in post by 1 July 2022.  This was achieved for the majority of staff, though there were some that started later in July for various reasons including new recruits not being available until they had served their notice period from a previous job, difficulty finding accommodation in the area, and re-advertising due to candidates and new recruits not taking up the post.  Local authorities have standard recruitment processes, typically taking at least two months, with little flexibility to fast-track recruitment.  Given these constraints, start dates up to the end of July were deemed acceptable. 

Table 1. Seasonal staff start dates

No. staff in post on 1 June	No. staff in post by 1 July	No. staff in post by 1 Aug	No. staff in post by 1 Sep	No. staff in post by 15 Sep
26	77	101	104	105

 

4.2 Financial summary 

BPF3 received 59 applications requesting £2,251,581.

A total of £1,435,885 was awarded to 48 projects. The total project value was over £2 million when taking other cash funding of £216,096 and in-kind contributions of £380,804 into account.

Of the 48 grants awarded, 31 projects had the funding requested approved in full and 17 projects had the funding requested approved in part.  Some projects were awarded funding for fewer seasonal posts than requested, due to the proposed posts focussing primarily on management of visitor facilities with limited face-to-face engagement with visitors and promotion of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Other projects had partial approvals due to removing ineligible costs. 

A total of £1,148,651.41 was paid in claims to 47 projects.  The under-spend was primarily due to fewer seasonal staff being recruited than planned, and the seasonal staff starting later than planned, which was a consequence of the Fund timeline and staff recruitment and retention issues.

4.3 Geographic Coverage

Applications were prioritised in the national “hot spot” areas:

• North and West Highland, islands and North Coast 500 (NC500)
• Highland Perthshire
• Cairngorms National Park area
• Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park area
• East Lothian coast and the Pentland Hills

Of the 48 projects awarded funding, 28 (58%) were in the listed “hot spot” areas.  A further 20 projects were awarded funded outside these hotspot areas, where they demonstrated significant visitor pressures and proposed effective solutions e.g. Aberdeenshire, Fife, Moray and Scottish Borders coast; Loch Ken in Dumfries & Galloway; Seven Lochs Wetland Park in Glasgow/North Lanarkshire; country parks in Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, North Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, and West Lothian Councils.  One of the projects had a Scotland-wide coverage.

Table 2. Number of projects and posts awarded funding in hotspot areas.

Hotspot area	NW Highland, islands and NC500	Highland Perthshire	Cairngorms National Park	Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park	E. Lothian & Pentland Hills	n/a
No. (%) projects awarded funding	16 (33%)	4 (8%)	1 (2%)	5 (10%)	2 (4%)	20 (42%)
No. (%) posts awarded funding	36 (33%)	5 (5%)	2 (2%)	7 (6%)	16 (15%)	43 (39%)

 

Other applications were not successful in being awarded funding because they did not sufficiently demonstrate a significant level of visitor pressure and/or they were more focused on tourism development or environmental education rather than visitor management.

BPF3 projects were located in 24 of the 32 local authorities and both National Parks.  Further details in Appendix 1.

4.4 Type of Applicant

The Fund was open to a wide range of applicants including community groups, registered charities and local authorities. Land owners / land managers could apply where significant public benefit and collaboration with the community was demonstrated.

A total of 46 organisations submitted BPF3 applications and 35 organisations were awarded funding.  The majority (77%) of organisations that were awarded BPF3 funding in 2022 had received BPF2 funding in 2021, reflecting the ongoing need for seasonal staff to manage visitor pressures in hot spot locations.  There were eight new applicants awarded funding in 2022, nearly all of which were community groups.

The table below gives the breakdown by type of applicant awarded funding. Some applicants made multiple applications for different land holdings e.g. National Trust for Scotland, John Muir Trust, RSPB.  The Highland Council’s application covered the whole of the local authority area.    

Table 3. Type of applicant awarded funding

Applicant type	Local authorities	Community  groups & trusts	Voluntary sector bodies & recreational user groups	Countryside Trusts	Private estates
No. organisations awarded funding	13	10	9	2	1

 

5. Successes & Challenges

5.1 Successes

Positive impact on improving visitor management and behaviours

There were numerous examples of the positive impact of the additional staff presence in dealing with issues on the ground and in preventing issues from occurring or escalating.  Several projects noted that some repeat visitors had remembered site-specific messages from 2021, while others noted the year-on-year improvements due to the extra ‘boots on the ground’.

• “At times through this recent summer season, the sheer volume of visitors during such a warm and dry summer has been quite overwhelming. However, with the additional resource in place and on the back of the physical improvements made with the previous NatureScot BPF funding, this has had a huge impact on how we were able to manage this influx of visitors.” (Falkirk Council)

• “Visitor numbers have not dropped down to pre-pandemic levels and some of the major issues related to this are unlikely to disappear in coming years. The extra support provided to the A&R [Access and Recreation] team and the wider organisation by the Seasonal Countryside Wardens during the high season allowed FCCT to be more pro-active with visitor management at the busier sites and help address several visitor related pressures. Their positive impact was particularly felt during the weekends when visitor pressure was typically higher, and the permanent team was unable to adequately cover all the popular locations.” (Fife Coast & Countryside Trust)

• “Despite the large numbers of visitors during the summer of 2022, particularly on weekends, the village [Grandtully] experienced no observed or reported issues regarding parking, litter, noise or inappropriate camping. Furthermore the Seasonal Visitor Rangers persuaded those with motorised quad bikes and motorbikes not to try and use them on core paths. ” (Scottish Canoe Association)

• “The work of the VSOs [Visitor Services Officers] has had a significant impact on the negative impacts of park use at key sites within the park through the removal of litter and fly tipping.” (Seven Lochs Wetland Park)

• “Both the RSPB Scotland Inversnaid and Loch Lomond Site Managers noticed the benefits of a Ranger regularly patrolling both sites. The areas were kept cleaner and anti-social behaviour was able to be curtailed before things escalated out of control. We also believe that the mere presence of a Ranger prevented further irresponsible and anti-social behaviour – such as littering, irresponsible camping behaviour and environmental damage.” (RSPB Loch Lomond & The Trossachs)

• “The main legacy of this project is that local people, especially anglers, now know that the site is no longer somewhere where you can do whatever you like in the evenings, safe in the knowledge nobody will confront you. Also, the work the Reserve Assistants have done to educate visitors on the behaviours required on the reserve will have positive long-term impacts for when these visitors visit us again or visit other outdoor spaces with their new-found responsible behaviours.” (RSPB Lochwinnoch)

• “The Highland Council and JMT ranger presence and awareness [raising] appears to have support[ed] a significant reduction in fire pits during 2022.” (JMT Sandwood Bay)

• “From what I see, I firmly believe that having visible Rangers to talk to folks about the situation and how to care for the environment is vitally important. The evidence shows itself by comparing Snowdon and Cairngorm to Ben Nevis and Whernside. Education is key. Signs help but talking is much better as most people will listen as most won’t read a sign”. (Rich Pyne, Real Three Peaks Challenge – reported by JMT Ben Nevis)

• “This is the second year that we have had a summer ranger and what a difference it has made.” (Councillor Timothy Billings – reported by Arran Access Trust)

• “It has been crystal clear to us, and many others who we have talked to in meetings, at events, and out in the Glen that the efforts we put in to protecting and engaging with visitors really is working.” (Nevis Landscape Partnership)

• “There was a lovely occasion when I had been speaking with a couple about littering in Steall. As they walked away, I heard them telling other visitors to take home their orange peels because ‘orange trees don’t grow in Nevis’. This is an excellent example of how access to rangers and their knowledge empowered the visitors to take responsibility and advocate for Nevis.” (JMT Ben Nevis)

• “It was also noted the positive passive influence the Seasonal Ranger presence had as visitors were seen actively collecting dog waste, putting dogs on leads, and proactively reading informational signage.” (NTS North-East Scotland) 

• “In terms of reducing the impact of anti-social behaviour, a great deal of work regarding respect for nature was carried out with local youth groups, some of whom were previously involved or knew those previously involved in littering and fire raising in the woodlands, the young people took part in litter picks and learned about how fires can damage healthy trees.” (Cloudberry Communities)

Many projects reported that the seasonal staff presence was well received by the local community:

• “Project is being very well received by locals and visitors particularly around the cleared paths which it has been commented make the place feel much safer.” (Cloudberry Communities)

•  “This project has been absolutely fantastic and extremely well received by both the local community and visitors. This has proven to be a pivotal role for the community estate and a rare opportunity to bring crofters, residents and visitors together.” (Stòras Uibhist)

• “The increased face to face contact is very appreciated by the local communities and visitors as is the amount of work on the ground that has been carried out e.g. to repair the ground from the effects of camp fires, vegetation management, signage and information on responsible use of the site.” (East Lothian Council)

• “The additional ranger presence on site meant that they could act as a first point of contact for local community and stakeholders, enabling swift response and mitigation. As most of our sites are un-manned, having additional staff presence to address concerns during busy periods enhanced our relationship with local communities and landowners. Informal feedback showed that visitors, landowners, and stakeholders alike appreciated having a person to talk to, to reassure them that issues arising were being dealt with.” (NTS North Perthshire)

• “Recurring feedback from visitors to the estate upon seeing the Seasonal Ranger and ranger team working and patrolling the estates was the improvement that it made to their experience and awareness of actions invested in the protection of the countryside for both nature and users.” (NTS North-East Scotland)

• “Jordanna was a key link between the reserve and the wider community and helped the reserve feel more connected with what was happening in the local area and vice-versa.” (NTS St Abbs)

• “Positive relationships were made with local groups, residents and businesses which will be built upon for future site management.” (North Ayrshire Council)

• “We received lots of anecdotal feedback from people on how happy they were to see the Rangers back and active around Loch Ken.” (Loch Ken Trust)

• “Regular feedback was also received from local businesses and residents with many commenting on how clean and tidy the village of Arrochar and the head of Loch Long were due to the activities of the wardens” (Friends of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs)

Collaborative partnership working

There were numerous examples of sharing of expertise and co-ordination between different organisations to deal with issues, often building on partnership approaches developed in 2021.

• “The Highland Council’s Visitor Management Operations Group meetings were attended by the Rangers every two weeks. The operational group meetings aim to coordinate local visitor management on the ground in particularly busy hotspot areas, taking a collaborative cross-sectoral approach to managing tourist impacts and issues. The meeting is attended by fellow Ranger Teams in the Highlands, representatives from the police, local landowners and various Highland Council departments such as traffic management/enforcement, roads team, waste management and visitor services. The VMOG gives a good insight into how other Rangers and operational teams have been managing and addressing the complex array of problems associated with high visitor numbers during peak times in the season. These meetings provide an opportunity to voice concerns and raise issues that need to be addressed such as the lack of waste disposal facilities in Lower Falls car park, issues of parking, toileting and irresponsible behaviour out of line with the SOAC.” (Nevis Landscape Partnership)

• “The number of fire incidents reduced significantly whilst working in partnership and close collaboration with Highland Council Rangers.” (JMT Sandwood Bay)

• “The emergency services attended to 12 significant fires. The seasonal rangers helped the emergency services by raising the alarm calling 101; showing them to the locations of the fire; opening gates so that emergency services did not need to cut padlocks which can impact on farmers whose livestock then get loose in public areas; worked alongside the emergency services to put out the fires.” (Pentland Hills Regional Park)

• “On multiple occasions, the assistant rangers discovered open fire whilst carrying out their hotspot patrols, alerting the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, assisting with site access and helping to stop the spread of fire. Their patrols have allowed the Ranger Service to gather information on issues at different sites and feed this information back to other departments and partner organisations through the monthly Partnership Against Rural Crime (PARC) meetings. This partnership includes Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, National Farming Union and other Council departments including Cleaner Communities.” (West Lothian Council)

• Operation Boxy involved partnership working between Police Scotland, the PHRP team, Scottish Water and Scottish Fire & Rescue Service. It took place between 2 July and 31 July 2022, with a focus on the Edinburgh side of the hills: Bonaly Country Park, Harlaw, Torduff, Clubbiedean and Threipmuir reservoirs/areas. (Pentland Hills Regional Park)

• Joint patrols with Police Scotland and Safer Communities at visitor hot spots on Friday evenings during the summer (Fife Coast & Countryside Trust)

• “Cashel Rangers had regular contact with National Park Rangers’ East Team via telephone and in person during the season. On busy days, current information regarding visitor management and any additional support requests were shared between services on an ad hoc basis enabling us to ‘spread the load’ as a wider team.” (Cashel Forest Trust)

• “There was also better coordination of visitor services between different partners this year with regular contact with Council Staycation and Environmental staff, National Park Rangers, Forest & Land Scotland Rangers and Luss Estates management and ground staff. This meant there was more seamless delivery of visitor information and advisory services as well as better ground maintenance at busy visitor locations.” (Friends of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs)

• “The Ranger Service has excellent working relationships with all our partners.  We attend twice-weekly visitor management groups through the season, co-ordinated by the local authority.  This year we have also been a member of the national Visitor Management Strategy Operations Group, which has really enabled us to strengthen our links with partner agencies at a more strategic level.” (Loch Ken Trust)

• “Some excellent initiatives and events came from collaboration between West and South Harris. Examples of collaboration include: Community beach cleans, maintaining tree nurseries, attendance at local Council and community meetings, joint focus on accessibility issues at beaches, and staging a Community Hub event for the stakeholders and wider community post-season. Delegation of patrol areas across Harris also enabled fuller Warden presence.” (West Harris Trust)

• “Visitor Rangers worked in partnership with local land managers including farmers and the trustees of the village hall and recreation ground. The Rangers enabled general visitors to the village to park and take access, even when canoeing events were taking place in August.”  They also engaged with Perth & Kinross Countryside Trust about a potential link path and worked in partnership with the Upper Tay Paths Group regarding maintenance on a core path (Rob Roy Way) that leads from the site. (Scottish Canoe Association)

• “Engaged with 17 local wardens and community groups” with 4 joint events: community beach clean in Arisaig, community beach clean and water safety workshop in South Uist, beach clean and community engagement event in Stonehaven, joint patrols with Highland Council along the west coast (Embers Aquatics)

• “Liaison and communication with neighbouring Aberdeenshire Council Seasonal Rangers was a positive addition to the Seasonal Ranger work programme of 2022. This allowed comparison of visitor management issues and successes, and especially the sharing of management techniques.” (NTS North-East Scotland)

• “The SHACRs [Seasonal Hotspot Access Countryside Rangers] also worked to develop a positive rapport and working relationship with land managers communities, and community volunteer groups. This included supplying information to community council meetings and meeting onsite with volunteer groups. Through these meetings the SHACRs were able to listen to concerns raised about the impacts of increased visitor numbers and work in partnership to make decisions on appropriate actions to improve sites, for example targeted areas for litter picks. The SHCARs also consulted with land managers and community volunteer groups to develop a responsible wild camping poster for use at sites impacted by increased numbers of campers, most of which were not wild camping in accordance with SOAC.” (Aberdeenshire Council)

• “This year’s project allowed us to consolidate and build upon our relationships with the Alva Glen Development Trust, Gartmorn Dam Community Development Trust. The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), the RSPB, Sauchie Community Association, Menstrie Development Trust, Community and Learning Development Services, the local Community Pay back team, the Police and the Ramblers association.” (Clackmannanshire Council)

• “The seasonals worked with community groups and outside agencies when delivering some of the above pop-ups and events: joint working with aim of encouraging responsible behaviour and making the most of a captive audience to promote SOAC e.g. Coastwatch and Irvine Clean-up Crew; Three Towns Clean Up Crew; Police Scotland Youth Volunteers; Garnock Connections and Scottish Wildlife Trust at ‘A Day at the Dunes’ event” (North Ayrshire Council)

• “Seasonal Rangers have liaised with local community groups to address issues and lead to improvement of local spaces through for example supporting hand litter picking organised by Friends of Troon Beaches … empowering members of the community to deliver plans and actions in a collaborative way whilst also protecting a Site of Special Scientific Interest” (South Ayrshire Council)

• “The Wild Wednesday events were free and aimed at families, and they partnered with organisations including RSPB, Hopetoun Ranger Service, Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, Home Energy Scotland, Forest and Land, West Lothian Council Waste Team and the Scottish Government’s Road Safety Campaign Ziggy’s Big Day Out.” (West Lothian Council)

Communication

Projects reported that most visitors were receptive to the discussions with seasonal staff, with positive responses from those who were less aware of their access responsibilities.  Less experienced seasonal staff honed their communication skills as the season progressed, learning how to include a SOAC discussion in just about any conversation with visitors.

As well as direct engagement with visitors, many projects used on-site signage, posters, leaflets, events, community newsletters and social media (particularly Facebook) to communicate key messages to visitors.  Several projects undertook press or radio interviews, usually as part of wider promotion of their work, and a few projects invited local elected representatives to see the ranger activities.  Specific examples of media coverage are provided in Appendix 2.

Several projects proactively sought to engage with third party websites, apps and social media sites to ensure that pre-visit information was consistent and appropriate – especially regarding parking, camping, fires and waste. Several projects recognised the need to work with commercial companies, such as campervan hire companies, to ensure that relevant and reliable information was provided to customers.

5.2 Challenges

Recruitment and retention

A key challenge was the short timescales for the recruitment staff, resulting in fewer weeks of operational activity than planned and knock-on implications on spend.  Local authorities had additional time constraints relating to their recruitment policies and systems.

The temporary/seasonal nature of the role was a problem when recruiting island rangers. There were suitable local candidates who would have been interested if the job was year round. Recruiting "off island" is challenging due to lack of affordable housing or indeed any housing for temporary workers.  Finding temporary accommodation in much of the Highlands was also an issue, with quite a few appointed candidates having to delay start dates or to withdraw due to accommodation problems.

Several organisations reported fewer applicants for the seasonal posts, and that more candidates had little previous relevant experience.  This was less of an issue where there were several posts being recruited with successful candidates having a good mix of experience, or where there were permanent rangers to supervise seasonal posts, but in some instances required more management input than planned. 

A number of recruited staff left before starting their post or before the end of their contract, usually because they had secured permanent employment.  In some instances it was possible to re-fill the posts fairly quickly, particularly when based on the original recruitment exercise, while in other cases fewer seasonal staff were employed and/or the project ended earlier than planned. 

Training and inductions often had to be carried out quickly to enable staff to be operational at the earliest opportunity, as the visitor season was at or near its peak by the time posts were recruited.  Several projects mentioned that staff were having to play catch up to address visitor management issues on the ground, such as disguising previous fire pits.

Staff absences due to Covid, or other sickness absences, were mentioned by several projects, resulting in delays to some activities.

Project delivery timescales

In addition to the recruitment timescales mentioned above, the timing of issuing the Funding Offer meant it was a challenge for one project to get events in the diary during the peak holiday season.  Another project mentioned that there had not been sufficient time to develop partnerships with local businesses and private landowners.

Visitor pressures

While visitor pressures were generally more manageable in 2022, there were some locations where the volume of visitors, particularly campers, was more than the area – and particularly that sensitive coastal habitats - could sustain e.g. Yellowcraig, Tyninghame and Gullane on East Lothian coast. 

Cumulative camping issues were also reported in some popular locations in the North West Highlands, resulting in the vegetation degrading and bare earth or sand appearing. The Highland Council trialled small, temporary camping exclusion areas at two beaches, Traigh at Arisaig and Ceannabeinne near Durness, demarcated with rope or barrier mesh and with ‘Please Keep Out - Habitat Restoration in progress’ signs. This initial trial seemed successful, and the approach will be considered in other locations where required.

Glen Etive and Glencoe have long been among the most popular ‘wild’ camping locations in Scotland, especially with new and inexperienced campers. They attract a diverse demographic mix, including a high proportion of young people, due to their relative accessibility and proximity to the Central Belt and Fort William. As a key gateway to the Highlands, engagement here provided a real opportunity to establish the ‘respect, protect and enjoy’ behaviours in visitors.

Vehicle-based camping seemed to be on the rise, with more 4 x 4 roof-top tent camping (mainly reported in the Highlands and often linked to car hiring businesses), as well as campervans / motorhomes.

Nevis Landscape Partnership (NLP) reported that, despite the new toilet facilities at the Lower Falls car park in Glen Nevis, toileting issues remained a problem in the Steall Gorge and Meadow and JMT reported a significant increase in toileting incidents at Ben Nevis in 2022 compared to 2021.  There was also a concentration of human faeces, toilet paper, wipes and sanitary produces near John’s Wall area at the Halfway Lochan, which Jahama Highland Estates formally reported to SEPA due to the environmental and health impact.

There are hotspot places where burying human waste is not appropriate due to over-use or unsuitable terrain, and other approaches were used.  The Highland Council provided printed signs with QR codes with information about the nearest public toilet, and promoted ‘#Bag It and Bag It’ via social media and on-site signs and posters.  NTS adopted a similar ‘bag and bin’ message in Glencoe and Glen Etive. 

Fires continued to be a key issue.  The Highland Council rangers placed advisory No Fires signs, endorsed by The Highland Fire & Rescue Service, which were successful in reducing the number of fires in some locations, but not in others - where signs were removed or burnt. Most fire rings were removed to discourage further use, though some were retained to minimise the number of new fire sites created. In some places different approaches were tried to repair  or encourage the recovery of damaged and scorched vegetation including covering with sand or gravel near beaches or rivers; covering with seaweed; covering with turf; turning the soil over; using jute matting; staking hazard tape around site. The NLP seasonal rangers scheduled late Friday evening patrols at Steall Meadows to encourage visitors to use a camping stove instead of an open fire, and advising campers how to have campfires responsibly (recommending having a fire on the shingle beach as better practice rather than on open grass). They reported multiple sites where trees were cut down to use as firewood.  NTS seasonal rangers at Glencoe & Glen Etive observed a positive trend with more fires being set using fire bowls or pop-up stands, which can completely remove or reduce the impact of fire on the ground. Despite a ‘no fires’ policy at the Blaven car park and surrounding woodland, JMT reported one or two small-scale fire incidents a week.

Littering continued to be a significant issue, as was not picking up after dogs and not binning dog poo bags.  The NTS North-East Scotland seasonal ranger created a density of map of locations where used dog bags were frequently found and this was used to inform the placement of targeted signage encouraging responsible disposal of dog waste.  NTS undertook end of season ‘deep cleans’ at key camping and parking spots along the A82, removing litter from under rocks and in streams and culverts, as well as repairing damage.

Several projects reported parking issues. Harris Warden Service encountered continued irresponsible parking and road/verge erosion at visitor ‘hotspots’ such as Luskentyre, and Harris Voluntary Service reported similar issues at Northton in South Harris. The increased use of campervans / motorhomes on the islands exacerbates parking availability for cars, while wildlife watchers and/or photographers were seen either stationary on the road or parking irresponsibly in parking places or on the verge. The Steall and Lower falls in Glen Nevis were running at full capacity throughout the season, and at the height of the season there were cars parked on the verge and in passing places causing problems on the single-track road. NTS Glencoe & Glen Etive reported regular verge damage at weekends due to overspill from parking areas.  Staff presence at weekends at Schiehallion throughout the season ensured appropriate parking, and NTS similarly found that seasonal posts helped better manage parking issues.  Cashel Forest Trust registered with the National Park’s live carpark update service, providing regular updates via WhatsApp, to help manage parking along east Loch Lomond during peak periods.  They also made one of their fields available as an overflow carpark on an exceptionally busy weekend, reducing illegal parking on the Rowardennan Road clearway and relieving pressure on the carpark at Milarrochy Bay.

There was a significant increase in the number of organised events in Lochaber and Badenoch, partly due to a Covid re-bound effect and also a surge in new events. In addition to sporting, recreational and charity events there was also a major rise in the number of military activities and exercises across the region. Jahama Highland Estate seasonal rangers, supported by others in the Nevis area, were routinely involved in guiding event preparation and monitoring, ensuring that events ran smoothly and with minimum disruption.

Visitor understanding of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC)

Several projects reported that visitors’ knowledge of SOAC was limited, and that the nuances in some of the SOAC messaging was lost on a large proportion of visitors e.g. use a stove where possible.  There continues to be widespread misunderstanding that camping in vehicles or on vehicles (roof tents) is not covered by access rights. 

Many organisations used ‘leave no trace’ principles as a way to introduce and explain how visitors should behave with respect to camping, fires, etc.  Several organisations found it useful to hand out a leaflet on responsible camping or motorhome use, as a conversation starter, a validation of the advice provided and/or a reminder of the key messages.  A few organisations opted to use an iPad or other electronic device to refer to SOAC and other access information whilst engaging with visitors. Some organisations used props to help convey key SOAC messages at events (e.g. litter collected from a site, examples of responsible and irresponsible campsites, cardboard model sheep), and SOAC-related games were a good way to engage children.  Several organisations had black bags and dog poo bags to hand to visitors if required.

Visitor behaviour

While the majority of engagements with visitors were positive, a couple of projects reported a key challenge being the abusive attitudes by some visitors when asked to put out open fires, stop chopping down trees and other irresponsible and antisocial behaviours, with the rangers requesting body cameras to record these incidents. The JMT Sandwood Bay seasonal ranger piloted a bodycam when patrolling due to ongoing visitor behaviour issues at certain locations. The Highland Council access rangers reported occasional confrontational members of the public, including verbal abuse.  Jahama Highland Estates reported two incidents of angry and aggressive behaviour, both related to requests to put out roadside fires.

RSPB reported that one group of campers damaged and destroyed a bridge on the West Highland Way, which was reported to the police and National Park Authority.  NTS reported that a recently installed bug hotel was deliberately targeted and burned at one property, and that warning or informational signage was vandalised or removed. Gleniffer Braes Country Park reported party sites, vandalism, fly tipping and the construction of unauthorised mountain bike trails.

Wildlife disturbance and livestock attacks

RSPB reported that their main issue at the Loch Lomond nature reserve was dogs disturbing wildlife, and witnessed a group of paddleboarders disturbing black-headed gull chicks on a tern raft at their Lochwinnoch nature reserve.  JMT reported drone activity on Skye.  Jahama Highland Estate experienced a significant increase in dog attacks on livestock, with a number of ewes and lambs lost because of these attacks.  They also reported two incidents involving cross bows, in which one ewe died and one lamb was severely injured.  Mugdock Country Park also mentioned incidents of sheep worrying and attacks.

Engagement with other organisations

While the majority of the engagements with other organisations were positive, there was some variability reported in the willingness of organisations to engage. West Lothian Council reported that attendance by partner organisations at community events was impacted by staff shortages and Covid policies. Embers Aquatics found that most water sports businesses did not respond to emails, though were much more receptive when made face to face contact and were happy to share information and distribute materials.  Loch Ken Trust mentioned a disappointing response from the Police Scotland call centre when reporting criminal and threatening behaviour.

Avian Flu

The Avian Flu outbreak was a significant challenge for several projects, with the Islay seasonal rangers undertaking extensive clearances of dead birds from the beaches and the St Abbs Head seasonal ranger involved in considerable dialogue with visitors. It was also an additional issue for the seasonal rangers in Aberdeenshire, East Lothian, Harris and Arran.

General

Some of the challenges reported in 2021 were reduced or removed in 2022 through

• NatureScot providing access to awareness-raising resources for new or less-experienced rangers, namely webinar recordings on the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and Conflict Avoidance
• using established communication channels between seasonal staff and local community
• building on communication channels developed between BPF-funded and other visitor-focused posts in a particular area (WhatsApp groups; regional Visitor Management stakeholder group meetings)
• greater familiarity with the Better Places Fund requirements

5.3 Additional benefits

There were a wide range of additional activities and benefits undertaken, including:  

• Providing advice to visitors on amenities in the area, walking & cycling routes, health & safety including clothing, navigation, hydration, sun protection, ticks, water safety
• Providing First Aid to an injured visitor
• Providing support to visitors who had become separated from other party members or dogs
• Helping locate a vulnerable person
• Assisting with a road traffic accident next to the car park and an incident involving the Mountain Rescue Team
• Assisting people whose vehicle got stuck in the sand
• Warning visitors of birds affected by avian flu on beaches, passing information to DEFRA
• Providing advice to visitors on birds sensitive to disturbance e.g. dotterel, ptarmigan, terns
• Providing SOAC awareness-raising sessions with local school children, including developing interactive resources and supporting Junior Rangers
• Promoting SOAC and distributed leaflets at pop-up community events
• Leading guided walks, with the opportunity to raise awareness of responsible access
• Repairing and replacing signage and fences, strimming vegetation along paths and around car parks, maintaining paths and trails
• Site monitoring and management e.g. tree surveys, park equipment inspections, path condition checks, weather gauge observations, people counter data, wildlife surveying, invasive non-native species identification and removal, tree planting and management, wetland creation/restoration
• Collecting takings from car park machines
• Dealing with fly tipping
• Meeting with key stakeholders and attending relevant community meetings to ensure buy-in and support and to pass on information
• Reporting sheep worrying / livestock attacks and suspected poaching to the Police
• Getting escaped livestock back into fields
• Reviewing and updating signage, ensuring that it’s clear and understandable to visitors (including to those for whom English is a second language)

The Better Places funding has also been beneficial in increasing rangering and visitor management skills across Scotland.  Specific training and support provided to seasonal staff included

• Induction training: site familiarisation, lone and remote working, risk assessment
• SOAC, Conflict Avoidance and Wildlife Crime webinar recordings provided by NatureScot
• Conflict Resolution run by Scottish Mediation organised by SCRA
• Issuing fixed penalty notices
• Leave No Trace awareness certificate
• Wildlife crime awareness training with Police Scotland
• Path maintenance and path grading webinars run by Paths for All
• Species identification
• Site condition monitoring
• People counter maintenance and data downloading
• Path maintenance
• Navigation using map and compass
• First Aid
• Safe driving
• Tool operation – strimmer, brush cutting, chainsaw
• Water-specific: water safety awareness, throw line use with Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, VHF radio, canoe use, RYA Powerboat levels 1 + 2
• Military ordnance and explosive health & safety briefing provided by the Ministry of Defence
• Deer stalking
• Sea Mammal Stranding course
• Leading a group
• Safeguarding, Recognising Hidden Disabilities
• GDPR, Cyber security
• Carbon literacy course delivered by Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere

Pentland Hills Regional Park organised a 1-week exchange of seasonal Rangers with East Lothian Countryside Ranger Service to share experience and ideas on visitor management.  Some of their seasonal rangers also attended the SCRA Lothian Ranger meeting as a networking opportunity. Other learning opportunities included a talk from farmers, highlighting the negative effects of visitors on their land and discussing how the rangers could help.

Other benefits included

• Staff well-being: “For the first time in a number of years there has been a team in place working across these properties, which has had immense benefits for staff morale and wellbeing.” (NTS North Perthshire)

• Employment opportunities in remote rural areas: “Working as a seasonal Ranger at Sandwood has sparked my love for engagement again, increased my confidence and inspired me to stay locally as a result. Jobs are few and far between especially those within your values in the Northwest and I can’t thank the Trust enough and our funders at NatureScot for this opportunity.” (JMT Sandwood Bay)

• Empowering community groups: “This year was only our second year of operating the Loch Ken Ranger Service, on a community-led, charitable basis.  If last year was a case of ‘finding our feet’, this year was about building on our success and proving to our communities that we are a credible alternative to the previous council-run service.” (Loch Ken Trust)

• Better management planning: “Information collected by the SHACRs [Seasonal Hotspot Access Countryside Rangers] through face to face visitor engagement and online will be used to feed into the next Balmedie Country Park Management Plan” and "Site monitoring information from the patrols undertaken has been added to the Aberdeenshire Visitor Management Plan.  This has enabled informed and collaborative action to take place. Examples of this include working with land managers and partner organisations to progress the installation of barbecue bins and stands at key sites and the prioritisation of repairs to visitor infrastructure." (Aberdeenshire Council)

• Site improvements: “The availability of the additional staffing resource over the last 5 months has allowed us to look at the way we do things around the park differently and has added an extra focus and impetus now that Muiravonside Country Park is back in Falkirk Council ownership. Since this funding was secured, we’ve been able to engage with users and set up a Park Volunteer Group, engaged with other services within Falkirk Council, secured additional resources to help improve park paths and facilities (on the back of speaking to and consulting with our customers/users) and worked in partnership with others too including TCV, SWT and Pond Life.” (Falkirk Council)

• Connecting people with nature: “Conversations with visitors about species in the glen facilitated a deeper understanding of the effects poor visitor management had on the land’s inhabitants. This vital connection between visitors and the animals encouraged visitors to really see that where they are visiting is more than breathtaking scenery. Conversations such as these encourage visitors to connect and advocate for the protection and experience of wild places.” (JMT Ben Nevis)

• Securing additional funding: “The positive effect of having a ranger on site, talking to groups, creating positivity about the potential of Cashel, has allowed us to secure funding for the full-time post through the winter.” (Cashel Forest Trust) and “Warden teaming up with other projects to raise money for beach wheelchair” (West Harris Trust)

• Demonstrating good practice: “The SHACRs [Seasonal Hotspot Access Countryside Rangers] undertook a number of patrols using a pedal bike and an E-bike to promote these methods of countryside access to visitors. This helps to raise awareness of the advantages of accessing the countryside through cycling and the impact this low carbon option has on relieving car park pressures at key hot spot sites.” (Aberdeenshire Council)

6. Comparison with 2021

The table below provides comparative statistics for BPF2 in 2021 and BPF3 in 2022.

Note - BPF2 funded temporary and permanent infrastructure as well as seasonal staff.

Further details of BPF2 are provided in Better Places Green Recovery Fund evaluation report 2021

Table 4. Comparison with 2021

	2021 (BPF2)	2022 (BPF3)
APPLICATIONS
No. BPF applications received	162	59
No. projects awarded funding	87	48
No. projects completed	81	47
No. projects awarded funding for seasonal staff	59	48
APPLICANTS
Total no. organisations awarded funding for seasonal staff	43	35
No. local authorities awarded funding for seasonal staff	12	13
Funding awarded to local authorities for seasonal staff	£782,115	£785,877
No. community groups & trusts awarded funding for seasonal staff	18	10
Funding awarded to community groups and trusts	£329,245	£221,798
No. voluntary sector bodies awarded funding for seasonal staff	9	9
Funding awarded to voluntary sector bodies	£258,848	£336,890
No. countryside trusts awarded funding for seasonal staff	3	2
Funding awarded to countryside trusts	£81,124	£51,381
No. private estates awarded funding for seasonal staff	1	1
Funding awarded to private estates	£29,000	£39,940
No. (%) grants awarded to same applicant as BPF2	-	27 (77%)
No. (%) grants awarded to new applicant	-	8 (23%)
FUNDING
Total funding awarded	£2.790 million	£1.435 million
Funding awarded for seasonal staff	£1.915 million	£1.435 million
Funding awarded for infrastructure	£0.875 million	-
Total funding paid	£2.067 million	£1.148 million
Funding paid for seasonal staff	£1.247 million	£1.148 million
Funding paid for infrastructure	£0.82 million	-
SEASONAL STAFF
Total no. seasonal posts awarded funding	126.5	109
No. seasonal FTE awarded funding	102.8	103.6
No. seasonal rangers awarded funding	78	94
No. seasonal visitor operations staff awarded funding	49	15
No. seasonal posts in national “hot spot” areas	86 (68%)	67 (61%)
North & West Highland / NC500 and Islands	44	36
Highland Perthshire	16	5
LLTNP	5	7
Cairngorms	5	2
Pentland Hills and East Lothian coast	16	16
No. seasonal posts in other areas with visitor pressures	41 (32%)	43 (39%)

 

Appendices