THOSE campaigning for more national parks are refusing to abandon their cause, despite the most recent significant setback.

They believe the success over the last decade of the two we have in Scotland - Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs - shows we need more to add to the 3500 worldwide.

They had wanted the Scottish Government to commit to more parks next year, the centenary of the death of Scots-born naturalist, explorer and writer John Muir, the father of National Parks in North America. But it is not going to happen.

Last week there was a 34-minute debate in Holyrood, secured by Claire Baker, Labour MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife.

It followed the publication in April of a report from the Scottish Campaign for National Parks (SCNP) and the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (APRS) entitled Unfinished Business. It recommended seven other national park sites. Ben Nevis, Glen Coe and Black Mount; a coastal and marine national park centred around Mull; Galloway; Glen Affric; the island of Harris (where clear local support had been demonstrated); and Wester Ross were mooted.

Meanwhile, it was suggested that the Northumberland National Park should be extended into Scotland, giving the Cheviots national park status. Ms Baker was not advocating early or full implementation of this report. She just wanted a national strategy group to determine how a policy on national parks should develop.

However, the night before the debate a statement was issued saying that, while the Scottish Government fully recognised the importance of our two national parks and the significant contribution they made to conservation, tourism and the wider Scottish economy, there would be no new national parks any time soon.

At the end of the debate, Environment Minister Paul Wheelhouse 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. Neither did he think earmarking sites for long-term designation would be wise as this could lead to the communities engaging in a "quasi-bidding process". He didn't think this was the sort of thing the original national park legislation envisaged and was also concerned the two existing parks might suffer.

Such reluctance to continue official dialogue, given Mr Wheelhouse's willingness to engage in other areas, has bemused some. It will not deter enthusiasts as Bill McDermott, chairman of the SCNP made clear.

He said: "We are into what I call the agitation phase. We will be putting up a petition to the Scottish Parliament, talking to people on the ground and be active in taking the campaign forward. The strange irony in all of this is that national parks engender national pride. You would think an SNP Government would go for that."

At least he and his colleagues are used to the long haul. It took expert reports in 1945, 1974 and 1990, recommending the establishment of a least four or five parks, before Loch Lomond and The Trossachs was established in 2002 and the Cairngorms the year after.