[7] Following the Second World War, a committee, chaired by Sir Douglas Ramsay, was established to consider preservation of the landscape in Scotland.

The report, published in 1945 proposed that five areas (Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, the Cairngorms, Glen Coe-Ben Nevis-Black Mount, Wester Ross and Glen Strathfarrar-Glen Affric-Glen Cannich) should receive a level of protection.

[10] Although the national scenic area designation provides a degree of additional protection via the planning process, there are no bodies equivalent to a national park authority,[11] and whilst local authorities (in this case Perth and Kinross Council and Stirling Council) can produce a management strategy for each one, only the three national scenic areas within Dumfries and Galloway have current management strategies.

[13] Schiehallion, an isolated peak lying in the east of the NSA, is one of the most prominent mountains in Scotland.

[2] Most human settlement and activity has been concentrated along these two rivers; many of the smaller side glens also contain visible signs of previous occupations, for example in the presence of old shielings.