Camp fire and barbecue ban in Cairngorm National Park will be UK first as Scottish ministers move to curb wildfire risk in response to June and July’s catastrophic Carrbridge and Dava blazes
Camp fires and barbecues will be banned in the Cairngorms between April and September every year to reduce the risk of wildfires.
Scottish ministers have approved the ban for 2026 after an extensive consultation showed that the “overwhelming majority” of residents and visitors were in favour of a fire management byelaw for the national park.
It makes the Cairngorms the first place in the UK to introduce a seasonal open air fire ban, backed by an integrated wildfire management plan.
It will apply to the territory of the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), which requested the by-law.
Northern parts of the national park – the UK’s largest – were badly damaged in June and July by what landowners described as the biggest wildfire in Scottish history.
More than 11,800 hectares of moorland in the Carrbridge and Dava were affected by the blazes, causing “catastrophic damage” to local wildlife.
Sandy Bremner, convener of the Cairngorms National Park Authority, said: “The Cairngorms National Park is loved and cherished by so many of us, and we all want to protect and safeguard this incredible place.
“This byelaw will help us to do just that.
“Now that it has been approved by Scottish ministers, we’re committed to taking forward a range of practical measures to reduce wildfire risk in the National Park – from signage and communications to training and enforcement.
“Of course, it’s up to all of us to play our part so that the National Park can be enjoyed by generations to come, and the new fire byelaw is just one piece of the jigsaw.”
With climate modelling showing longer drought periods will be likely in the future, the risk of serious wildfires is only going to increase.
The potential for harm is huge in the Cairngorms national park area, which home to around 18,000 people, as well as a quarter of the UK’s rare and endangered species and around half of Scotland’s ancient pinewoods.
It attracts around two million visitors annually.
Mairi Gougeon, cabinet secretary for rural affairs, land reform and islands, said: “In introducing a fire byelaw of this kind, the Cairngorms National Park Authority is leading the way in safeguarding Scotland’s natural and cultural heritage from climate crisis threats.
“The wildfires we saw around Scotland earlier this year only remind us of how urgent this issue is, and I commend the Park Authority and partners on the huge amount of work they are doing to take forward this byelaw and a range of other mitigation measures.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service extreme wildfire warning is in place across Scotland this week.
It is the first to be issued in September for five years and follows another 12 wildfire risk alerts between March and August this year.