This is about the environment and people; climate, landscape and wildlife, and the political aims that affect it. 

In 2016 MCofS published Respecting Scotland’s Mountains, a Vision for the Future, setting out how Scotland’s mountain landscapes should be protected for the future. Since then, there have been significant political changes in how our hill country is viewed: the climate emergency and nature crisis are now major Government policy for investment and development, while more and more rewilding initiatives are encouraging more natural development of land of all types.

In parallel there is increasing, year on year, numbers of people enjoying the Munros and other summits, coupled with a post-COVID lockdown surge of visitors to the hill country, with car parking, path erosion, litter, fires causing challenges for land managers and rural communities.

Our Members’ Surveys indicate what your general opinions are on a range of topics, and a new Strategic Framework for Mountaineering Scotland guides how we prioritise our resources.

Weaving all these strands together; the elemental themes from opinion surveys, the public policy landscape and the Strategic Framework for applying our resources effectively leads to the need to have a clear position statement as a policy reference point, as we engage with civic society and Government in the years to come.

This is the Manifesto for the Mountains; the need to speak up about them and for the lesser hills too, the routes into and through them, and the communities living there. The final Manifesto will be formatted as a short statement, with the full context available on the website.

You are encouraged to read the draft Manifesto for the Mountains (below) and offer your thoughts in a short online questionnaire.

The survey will close on 4 January 2024.

• Strategic Framework 2022-25

Mountaineering Scotland environmental policies: 

• Conservation policies
• Conservation strategy
• Minimal impact advice