National scenic area (Scotland)

National scenic area (NSA) is a conservation designation used in Scotland, and administered by NatureScot on behalf of the Scottish Government. The designation's purpose is to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to protect them from inappropriate development. There are currently 40 national scenic areas (NSAs) in Scotland, covering 13% of the land area of Scotland.^[1] The areas protected by the designation are considered to represent the type of scenic beauty "popularly associated with Scotland and for which it is renowned".^[2] As such they tend to be mainly found in remote and mountainous areas,^[1] with a review in 1997 noting a potential weakness of national scenic areas was that the original selection placed undue emphasis on mountainous parts of the country.^[3] National scenic areas do however also cover seascapes, with approximately 26% of the total area protected by the designation being marine.^[4] The designation is primarily concerned with scenic qualities, although designated national scenic areas may well have other special qualities, for example related to culture, history, archaeology, geology or wildlife. Areas with such qualities may be protected by other designations (e.g. national nature reserve) that overlap with the NSA designation.^[5]

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Biodiversity of Scotland
Biodiversity Flora Fauna Birds Scottish breeds Highland fauna
Conservation Special Areas of Conservation
Organisations Wildlife Trusts Scottish Wildlife Trust
Areas Local nature reserves National nature reserves Protected areas National parks National Scenic Areas
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National scenic areas are designated by the IUCN as Category V Protected Landscapes, the same international category as Scotland's two national parks.^[1] Within the United Kingdom the NSA designation is regarded as equivalent to the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.^[1]

The national scenic area designation does not have a high profile when compared to other conservation designations used in Scotland: in 2018 a survey by the National Trust for Scotland found that only 20% of Scots were "definitely aware" of national scenic areas, compared to 80% for National Parks.^[6]