A plan to help reverse the "population emergency" in the Highlands and Islands will be outlined today by the Scottish Government.
It will include targeted funding for areas experiencing the worst decline and "empowering local leaders" to make more decisions for the benefit of their own communities.
Areas of the Highlands highlighted as 'at risk' of decline include Caithness, Sutherland and West Lochaber.
Migration Minister Emma Roddick insisted that rural depopulation was a priority for the government, amid criticism it is too focused on the Central Belt, which led to the resignation of one of its own councillors.
Councillor Karl Rosie, who respresents the Thurso and Northwest Caithness ward, said he was "deeply troubled" by his party's policies, which he said were "neglecting the needs and priorities of regions like ours in the Highlands."
It follows The Herald's agenda-setting series - The New Highland Clearances - which looked at the reasons why areas of the Highlands and Western Isles are being "drained of people".
The situation was laid bare in a new report by Highland Council, following last year's census, which showed that population growth in the Highlands was 1.4% - less than half that of Scotland overall, while the Western Isles is expected to experience a 6% decline by 2028.
The Scottish Government said the Addressing Depopulation Action Plan will also "consolidate work that is already ongoing in areas including housing, transport and education".
Migration Minister Emma Roddick will launch the strategy later today at the Nevis Centre in Fort William.
She said: “People are Scotland’s greatest asset.
"However, a falling birth rate, ageing population, and lower inward migration after Brexit mean that some places need support to secure the populations required to help their local communities and economies thrive.
“Addressing depopulation is a priority for this government.
"While there is no quick fix to the challenges that lead to population decline, this plan will set out the next steps in our work to help communities up and down the country grasp opportunities and unleash their potential.
“Understanding that depopulation affects different places in different ways is at the heart of this strategy.
"Local leaders and organisations know their communities best, and we will set out concrete steps to empower them and channel their expertise.”
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Secondary school roll forecasts in the Highlands are predicting a 12.5% decline over the next 15 years when Inverness is taken out of the equation.
David Richardson, development manager for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in the Highlands and Islands, has said reversing decline will require governing bodies to "move heaven and earth".
He said: "This is about appropriately priced accommodation of the right sort in the right places; decent transport, health services and digital links; childcare facilities and schools; leisure facilities; and so on."
This plan builds on the Scottish Government’s Population Strategy, launched in 2021, which is said had fulfilled one of the key commitments made in the National Islands Plan, published in 2019.
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