Land transformed
LAND TRAN S
The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill introduced this summer is part of a bigger picture which might see a gradual transformation of the way Scotland’s land, especially the uplands, is managed. Ida Maspero takes a look at what this could mean for ecosystem restoration.
cotland’s land – and the ownership of vast upland estates, in particular – has been a contentious and divisive topic since the notorious Highland Clearances of the 18th and 19th centuries. It is often said that Scotland has the most concentrated pattern of private land ownership in the west, with 432 landholdings covering approximately half of the country’s privately owned rural land.
The way in which historic land ownership patterns have shaped land use and management, and the resulting impact on habitat management and wildlife, has seen many a heated debate, with conservationists and private landowners often found in opposing camps. But is this too simple an analysis? In late June this year, the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill was introduced in Parliament – “part of a much wider, multi-dimensional picture of land reform,” according to land rights campaigner, author and researcher Andy Wightman. “Land reform was a hot topic in the first Scottish Parliament, but was dropped in 2007. However, it soon
returned to the agenda, and in 2012 the Land Reform Review Group (LRRG) was established. For this Bill, the Scottish Government has cherry-picked from the LRRG’s many sound recommendations those measures it could get through swiftly.”
The concept of land being managed sustainably ‘in the public interest’ and ‘for the common good’ is central to the current land reform process. This naturally casts the searchlight on the environment.
“There is broad public support for conservation and ecological restoration” says Wightman. “While private landowners can easily play a part in that, many are not particularly interested in doing so. If you agree that the public interest should override the private interest, there’s a strong case for managing much of the uplands very differently.”
The Bill is part of a process of evolution which could change the way land is managed in Scotland, agrees Dr Maggie Keegan, the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Head of
Policy. “With the premise of the Bill being that all land in Scotland should be for sustainable development, it offers an opportunity to improve Scotland’s natural capital and to deliver multiple benefits for wildlife and people, allowing the country to flourish.” The Bill’s provision for the development of a land rights and responsibilities statement – which Wightman calls a “starting point for a coherent conversation” – is key in this regard, says Keegan: “It will set out the journey of where Scotland wants to be, providing context and guiding principles.”
Though Scottish Land & Estates (SLE), the membership body representing landowners, agrees in principle with the statement, its CEO Doug McAdam says: “It does feel a little cart before the horse. We would have liked to see the Scottish Government clearly articulate its land reform objectives prior to us embarking on a Bill to
14 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE NOVEMBER 2015
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44