Conflicts between land users in Loch Lomond

Tourists vs. farmers

Tourists could leave gates open whilst walking and exploring the area. This can lead to animals escaping and potentially being injured or lost. This would affect profits for the farmer
Hill walkers could on farmers land. This could destroy farmers crops and result in lower yields or loss of crop in area resulting in lower profit for the farmer
If tourists let dogs off their lead they could chase or scare farm animals, particularly sheep
If tourists drop litter in fields or the area, wildlife or farm animals could eat the litter choke and potentially die

Tourists vs. local people

Increased numbers of people visiting (Luss has 750,000 visitors per year), can lead to overcrowding in the area at peak times such as bank holidays and weekends. This can also result to increased journey times for local people
As most tourists visit by car this can result in a range of conflicts. Tourists could park illegally on narrow streets or on grass verges leading to soil erosion or traffic congestions. Due to the sheer volume of cars visiting the area traffic congestion would build up. This leads to higher levels of noise and air pollution
Tourists dropping litter or leaving litter behind after BBQs or picnics looks unsightly and ruins the scenery in the area. Wildlife can also be affected if they eat this litter
Tourists might buy a second home (holiday home) in the area. However if this only used sporadically throughout the year can develop

Tourists vs. tourists

Tourists can be in with fellow tourists depending how they use the area
Those interested in active water sports such as jet skiing or speed boats can come into conflict with more passive users such as sightseers or fisherman as the noise from engines can scare fish away
Use of boats on the loch has lead to erosion of the banks of the loch and pollution of the water from boat engines
Tourists can also cause footpath erosion along popular walking route. This is due to walkers not sticking to the path and over use. Further erosion of the path by heavy rain escalates the problem

Tourists/local people vs. forestry

Commercial forestry can conflict with tourists when hill walking routes and paths are closed or rerouted as tourists are trying to enjoy the scenery and wildlife
Logging can cause noise pollution which disrupts the peace and quiet of the area and can scare away wildlife
The heavy trucks used to transport the logs can cause traffic congestion on roads as they are slow moving. This could also increase journey times
Logging scars the landscape and makes it look unsightly. Growing foreign trees in rows or lines looks out of place and destroys the natural beauty of the area

Problem	Solution	Effectiveness
Litter	Removing litter bins in remote areas where it is difficult to empty them, leading to overflowing bins	Encourages people to take their litter home or place in next available bin
	National Park Rangers can issue fines to people caught littering in the national Park	Forceful deterrent but hard to catch people in action
Traffic and overcrowding	Setting up one way streets to improve the flow of traffic in honeypot villages or encouraged to use public transport	Limited success as people prefer the convenience of their own vehicles
	Using farmers’ fields as temporary car parks reduces on-street parking	Bring in another form of income for the farmer
Tourists vs tourists	Speed limits to reduce beach erosion have been implemented	This has resulted in speedboat users moving to other lakes
	Introducing separate ‘zones’ around the loch so tourist activities are split into different sections	This ensures all tourists can use the area as they wish
	National Park Rangers offer talks, guides, provide leaflets and operate visitors centres to educate the public about the area	Tourists are familiar with how to behave in the National park. This is a free service
	By laws introduced to stop wild fires and camping in certain areas at specific times of the year	Tourists are directed to approved camp sites where they can be regulated
Tourists vs. farmers	Farmers can install spring loaded gates which close automatically	Very effective, works well but at a cost to the farmer
Forestry	Commercial forestry could grow trees native to Scotland and grown in a sporadic pattern	Native trees fit in with landscape and do not look out of place

Problem	Litter
Solution	Removing litter bins in remote areas where it is difficult to empty them, leading to overflowing bins
Effectiveness	Encourages people to take their litter home or place in next available bin

Problem
Solution	National Park Rangers can issue fines to people caught littering in the national Park
Effectiveness	Forceful deterrent but hard to catch people in action

Problem	Traffic and overcrowding
Solution	Setting up one way streets to improve the flow of traffic in honeypot villages or encouraged to use public transport
Effectiveness	Limited success as people prefer the convenience of their own vehicles

Problem
Solution	Using farmers’ fields as temporary car parks reduces on-street parking
Effectiveness	Bring in another form of income for the farmer

Problem	Tourists vs tourists
Solution	Speed limits to reduce beach erosion have been implemented
Effectiveness	This has resulted in speedboat users moving to other lakes

Problem
Solution	Introducing separate ‘zones’ around the loch so tourist activities are split into different sections
Effectiveness	This ensures all tourists can use the area as they wish

Problem
Solution	National Park Rangers offer talks, guides, provide leaflets and operate visitors centres to educate the public about the area
Effectiveness	Tourists are familiar with how to behave in the National park. This is a free service

Problem
Solution	By laws introduced to stop wild fires and camping in certain areas at specific times of the year
Effectiveness	Tourists are directed to approved camp sites where they can be regulated

Problem	Tourists vs. farmers
Solution	Farmers can install spring loaded gates which close automatically
Effectiveness	Very effective, works well but at a cost to the farmer

Problem	Forestry
Solution	Commercial forestry could grow trees native to Scotland and grown in a sporadic pattern
Effectiveness	Native trees fit in with landscape and do not look out of place

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Rural land use conflicts and their management Conflicts between land users in Loch Lomond

Conflicts between land users in Loch Lomond

Tourists vs. farmers

Tourists vs. local people

Tourists vs. tourists

Tourists/local people vs. forestry

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