The Scottish Government says it cannot tackle the “sheer scale” of depopulation in rural areas on its own.
Depopulation has become a “significant” problem in areas from the islands to rural areas all over the country outside the central belt.
Poor ferry services, ongoing road issues, Brexit and immigration were all blamed during a Holyrood debate on Wednesday.
Mairi Gougeon, the SNP minister in charge of rural economy and tourism, said the Scottish Government cannot solve the problem alone.
The challenge government faces
She said her capital budget is “significantly restrained” by the UK Government.
“It is crucial to say the Scottish Government alone cannot tackle the critical challenge of depopulation,” she told MSPs.
Ms Gougeon said she recognises other challenges contributing to depopulation such as a lack of digital infrastructure, poor transport and a shortage of affordable housing.
And she promised these concerns will be examined in an “action plan”.
Labour blames poor transport links
Scottish Labour suggested the SNP is to blame over transport failures, particularly in areas such as Argyll and Bute.
The party’s deputy leader, Jackie Baillie, said: “There are two infrastructure constraints.
“The first is the lack of reliable ferries, and the second is the ongoing problem over the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful.”
She wants the SNP government to find a long-term solution within its own budget to fix the A83.
Beatrice Wishart, Lib Dem MSP for Shetland, said tunnels could be considered when looking at how to tackle depopulation.
Ms Wishart said this has been proven to “reverse” depopulation trends in the past.
SNP says Brexit and immigration to blame
Jenni Minto, MSP for Argyll and Bute, said the UK Government’s immigration policy and Brexit are what is to blame for depopulation in her constituency.
The SNP politician said a recent survey from Highlands and Islands Enterprise found 53% of businesses felt “workforce challenges” were a perceived risk.
Ms Minto said: “Migration has a critical role to play in tackling these workforce challenges.
“The need has never been clearer, Scotland needs its own immigration system to meet the needs of our rural and island communities to reflect and repair the damage of Brexit.”
Ms Gougeon said migration has a “crucial part” to play in tackling rural depopulation, and said the UK Government’s current immigration policy “does not reflect the needs of Scotland’s rural communities”.
She said the Scottish Government has put forward the case for a rural visa to be introduced and added: “The rural visa pilot was endorsed by a clear majority during the parliamentary debate we had on that topic.
“I would strongly encourage the UK Government to be more receptive of the democratic will of this parliament and allow this proposal to go forward.”
Islanders fear being left to ‘sink or swim’ as SNP looks to how Japan tackled depopulation