Cairngorms National Park recreated in Minecraft to teach youngsters about planning
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A CAIRNGORMS worker has meticulously recreated the national park as a Minecraft map as a way to engage young people in environmental planning.
Dan Harris, planning manager at the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), spent three months of his spare time creating his online Cairngorms Minecraft map for its Youth Action Team.
In the game, players are "dropped" into a buildings-free national park with the mission to collaboratively create a community that represents the sort of place they would like to live in.
Dan – whose hobby is creating huge, detailed and meticulously researched historically-themed LEGO models – recreated the national park in Minecraft using data from Ordnance Survey and Forest and Land Scotland.
He said: "We know young people care passionately about the environment and we felt that by using a platform such as Minecraft, we could demonstrate how planning and development management has a hugely important role in tackling the climate emergency and caring for our environment.
"Using an online platform also means that we can deliver this youth engagement programme without having to worry about Covid-19 restrictions.
"Minecraft is extremely popular and while playing normally, there are no limits to your imagination, but the Youth Action Team – who are road-testing the project for us at the moment – are asked to consider how they can build their communities while meeting the aims of the national park.
"This means they have to start thinking about what policy-making means and they will be able to see within the game what effect those policies will have.
"It will be very interesting to see what they come up with."
To encourage collaboration, players are asked to take on specific roles, such as builder, lumberjack or farmer, at the beginning of the game.
While Minecraft has been used in similar ways elsewhere, this is the first time it has been used in the context of a national park. If testing goes well, the innovative approach will be delivered to schools in the area.
CNPA planning committee convener Gaener Rodger said: "Members of the Cairngorms Youth Action Team have been invited to a future CNPA planning committee meeting to discuss their experience of the Cairngorms Minecraft project.
"Having used Minecraft myself, I am really excited about having a Cairngorms Minecraft world and am looking forward to seeing the communities that our CYAT members have built.
"From a planning perspective, I can't wait to hear about their experiences of building these communities while taking into consideration the aims of the national park."
Ellie Moore, a member of the Cairngorms Youth Action Team, said: "It’s also been really fun wandering around the park map in Minecraft and recognising real-life landmarks. I’ve learned a lot, both about the planning process in the Cairngorms National Park and how to work as a team."
The park is not available to explore on Minecraft just yet but once testing is complete it is hoped to be able to offer it to all players.
