In a brief (34 mins 17 seconds) debate in Holyrood recently,  Paul Wheelhouse said he didn't want to establish more national parks for the time being.

Neither did he want to set up the national strategy group to determine how a policy on national parks should develop. This is what a motion from Claire Baker, Labour MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, had  sought.

But the Minister for the Environment and Climate Change explained he was concerned that at a time of such economic difficulty,  communities' aspirations would be raised only to be dashed by the lack of money to establish any new parks.

He elaborated: "It is instructive to consider the experience of Harris. In 2009, the community in Harris voted in favour of pursuing national park status as a means of addressing population decline and a lack of employment. However, the then Minister for Environment (Roseanna Cunningham) made it clear that she would not consider such designation unless the local authority was supportive. In 2010, Western Isles Council conducted a thorough year-long study of all aspects of what was proposed, including for example the role of a Harris national park in relation to planning, but it concluded that a convincing case had not been made for national park status for Harris."

It was almost an accurate description of what Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council), decided  but just not quite.

The position supported by island councillors in 2010 in fact was:

"That the Comhairle:

"(a) inform Scottish Ministers that it is the view of the Comhairle that, at this stage, a convincing case has not been identified for the creation of a National Park in Harris; and

"(b) note that Scottish Ministers would proceed to Stage 2 if their view is that a case exists to establish a National Park in Harris and in line with the legislative process, the Comhairle would provide a final definitive view at Stage 3, when the critical components of the National Park were known."

So the Western Isles councillors weren't persuaded "at this stage". And they had also anticipated the process towards national park designation would continue if ministers saw any merit in the Harris proposal. The Comhairle would then give a final view later.

Obviously one of the major considerations that persuaded ministers to let the Harris park idea lie, was the cost of setting one up at a time when the economic crisis was deepening.

Although campaigners for more national parks argue that they will pay back many times over the initial public investment.

Mr Wheelhouse seemed to accept this in respect of our two existing parks - the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs - which were set up 10 and 11 years ago respectively. He said: "I acknowledge that they contribute more than £260 million to local economies and attract more than 5 million visitors a year. They are positive players in our conservation and biodiversity objectives."

He went on: "...say a little about the Scottish National Party's national park commitment in our 2011 manifesto. I am sure that members are aware of that.... The point that I would like to make is that it is a commitment to engage in discussions with communities and not a commitment to declare a national strategy and let communities respond to that."

But how many discussions have there been with the communities on Harris?

Mr Wheelhouse explained that the Scottish Government had felt that the best outcome for the Harris community was not necessarily a national park. Highlands and Islands Enterprise had already provided assistance to Harris, support for the £1.2 million Heritage Lottery Fund landscape partnership, and support for the Harris hotel, Hotel Hebrides, Kilda Cruises, the Isle of Harris golf club, fishery piers and the community shop-to deliver the economic benefits that were sought through a designation for Harris.

Yes, but we should cast our minds back just four years...

A demographic time bomb had been ticking on Harris. The population had been falling steadily since 1921 and between 1951 and 2001 it fell by 50% to just less than 2000.

Faced with these profound and apparently intractable problems, the people of Harris saw real opportunities in protecting the environment of their island, through designation as a national park.

It was a real bottom up exercise, the sort of thing politicians locally and nationally are constantly saying they value,  at least in principle. 

The North Harris Trust first and then the Isle of Harris National Park Study Group, which had representatives from across the island, put in a power of work. They commissioned a feasibility study which concluded that a national park would create up to 90 jobs, significantly increase tourism, give access to new funding schemes and provide new opportunities to conserve the Gaelic culture, while not restricting crofting activity.

A community in the Hebrides, where suspicion of the conservation lobby has traditionally run deep, was seeking to embrace a  new green dawn with a clear democratic mandate to do so.