A brand new marketing campaign, It’s As much as Us, has been launched by Mountaineering Scotland and the Outside Entry Belief for Scotland (OATS) to lift cash to restore paths on one in every of Scotland’s most iconic mountains.

The goal is to lift £300,000 over three years for improve work on the the hill path from Dundonnell on An Teallach in Wester Ross.

The initiative additionally goals to lift consciousness of the necessity for funding within the restore and upkeep of casual mountain paths located on land outdoors of Scotland’s nationwide parks and NGO estates.

It’s As much as Us will concentrate on partaking the federal government, stakeholder businesses and organisations, out of doors companies and all path customers to make sure that important funding for hill path restore and habitat restoration is recognised for its social, well being and wellbeing, financial and environmental advantages.

From this, Mountaineering Scotland and OATS will develop a sustainable and long-term funding mannequin for hill path upkeep initiatives to enhance entry to funding for all Scotland’s mountain paths. 

An Teallach hill path repairs

The £300,000 restoration mission will deal with a long time of abrasion brought on by the cumulative affect of elevated human exercise and the extremes of Scottish climate.

The marketing campaign has recognized An Teallach for example of a preferred mountain path on privately owned land with no authorities funding at present obtainable. 

The marketing campaign has already been the beneficiary of a beneficiant £100,000 60^th Anniversary Diamond Grant Award from the Scottish Mountaineering Belief and has gained the assist of many well-known out of doors adventurers and social media influencers.

Outside lovers, energetic tourism companies and organisations that care deeply about Scotland’s hills and mountains are being inspired to step up and provides one thing again by donating to the It’s As much as Us fundraising enchantment.

In different phrases, it’s as much as all of us to provide again to the mountain setting we profit from.

Mountaineering Scotland CEO, Stuart Younie, mentioned: “Scotland’s casual hill and mountain path community performs an important position in serving to us to benefit from the bodily and psychological advantages of being energetic outdoor, which was by no means extra evident than through the pandemic. 

“Lively tourism additionally makes a major contribution to the Scottish financial system and to native communities throughout the Highlands. We have to recognise the cumulative affect of leisure exercise and excessive climate attributable to local weather change on our panorama and do one thing optimistic to handle it so it may proceed to be loved by future generations.”

CEO of the Outside Entry Belief Scotland, Dougie Baird, added: “The fundraising enchantment will spotlight how hillwalkers, mountaineers and conservationists can come collectively to unravel path erosion issues on mountains on personal land all through Scotland.    

“Nevertheless, we not have entry to European funding, which has offered vital assist for path and habitat restoration initiatives previously, with no funding from the federal government to exchange it.

“It’s critical to the success of the It’s As much as Us marketing campaign that we interact with governments and stakeholders to spotlight the determined want for funding in mountain paths and a long-term sustainable mannequin that provides all landowners entry to funding for important mountain path upkeep.”

Author and presenter Cameron McNeish, who’s an envoy of It’s As much as Us, mentioned: “It’s As much as Us is such an necessary mission for each one that loves strolling on Scotland’s hills and mountains.

“The unique tracks and trails on our hills had been by no means constructed to maintain the numbers that use them now, so it’s as much as all of us to drag collectively in each means we will and preserve them effectively maintained.”

John Fowler, Chair of the Scottish Mountaineering Belief, mentioned: “There have been plenty of worthy bids for the Diamond Grant, however the trustees had been actually impressed by the ground-breaking method that OATS and Mountaineering Scotland have give you.”

Go to www.savemountainpaths.scot to seek out out extra and observe the newest marketing campaign information utilizing the hashtags: #ItsUptoUs and #SaveMountainPaths

Extra particulars: It’s As much as Us

After 20 years of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act, VisitScotland estimates that the annual financial affect of strolling tourism is £1.6 billion [Scotland’s networks of paths and trails: key research findings – SNH, 2018].  The cumulative affect of accelerating human exercise, along with the extremes of Scottish climate, has had a significant affect on the erosion of mountain paths and the degradation of surrounding habitats all through the nation.

Because it stands, there is no such thing as a public funding from the UK and Scottish Governments to assist important mountain path and habitat restoration work outdoors of Scotland’s nationwide parks and NGO estates.

Most of Scotland’s hills and mountains, nearly all of that are on privately owned land, are excluded. Brexit has exacerbated the scenario for personal landowners with the as soon as vital funding from Europe not obtainable and never changed. 

Many mountain path and path customers take upland paths without any consideration, unaware of the price of path constructing and the shortage of funds for restoration initiatives.  NatureScot estimated path repairs at a median of £90 per metre in 2019, although prices are sometimes considerably greater than this.