Land transformed
Glenfeshie is put up for sale, a prospective owner would have to agree to manage it for the common good.”
In practice, a change in attitude may also be achieved through a combination of approaches, including from the bottom up. Ross Macleod of Wildlife Estates Scotland (WES), an initiative set up by SLE, explains: “Through the WES accreditation scheme, landowners can demonstrate good practice. We hope to incentivise and encourage landowners to manage their land for both public and private interests by showing them good reasons for doing so.”
The fact that it was set up from within landownership circles means that WES is well placed to encourage better land management, says Macleod. “Ours is a balancing act. Private landowners might say ‘we want to manage our land for a range of economic, social and conservation benefits, and we would like to do so in a way which we like.’ Yet this needs to be balanced with the growing public interest in what they do, and how. We can help them understand they have responsibilities in this regard, as well as rights.”
TAX BREAK END
The new Bill makes provision for non-domestic rates to be levied on sporting estates – a move strongly opposed by SLE. “The measure as proposed would actually go much further than sporting estates” says McAdam. “This potentially impacts virtually every non-urban acre and the rates would be applicable whether the sporting rights are being exercised or not. We believe it is unfair to single out one from the three main rural land uses – sporting, agriculture and forestry – without a clear view of how it is justified, how it will be applied and what consequences it may have.
“The Government has not undertaken proper due diligence in the form of economic or environmental impact assessments and cannot show that the reintroduction of rates would actually raise the funds estimated,” says McAdam. ”We are concerned it may actually decrease investment and employment
We hope to incentivise and encourage landowners to manage their land for both public and private interests
16 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE NOVEMBER 2015
and have a detrimental impact on conservation efforts while raising no net funds.”
But supporters of the provision, including the Scottish Wildlife Trust and Wightman, say this simply redresses a relatively recent imbalance. When land tax ratings were introduced in 1854, by and large all land was rated. In the 1950s agriculture was exempted and in the 1990s the shooting estates followed, explains Wightman. “But if the local pub and caravan site are paying rates, why should sporting estates not?” Keegan agrees: “We’re not sure why they should be exempt when all other businesses have to pay. However, we do agree with the Land Reform Review Group that those managing deer on their land to meet conservation objectives should be encouraged to do so. This might mean setting a revised rate based on the level of deer cull required to protect public interests, and then only charging this when an owner or occupier was not achieving adequate culls.” The rates exemption has had the effect of grossly inflating rural land values, Wightman argues. “As investments, they’ve outperformed inflation and the stock market, so estates are being used as tax and investment vehicles by the very wealthy.” Removing the rates exemption, believes Wightman, would be one small step towards a more balanced rural land market.
FRAGMENTATION – GOOD OR BAD? Many welcome the prospect of the land reform process leading to greater diversification and fragmentation of land ownership, and believe this would aid large-scale ecological restoration efforts. However, McAdam argues: “Large estates have been at the forefront of integrated land management and delivery of a myriad of ecosystems services. I believe that dividing land into multiple ownerships would diminish consolidated efforts to manage that land for the benefit of the wider community.”
Wightman disagrees: “Landscape- scale restoration is about partnership and cooperation. In fact, the more parties that have a stake – local authorities, community owners, private owners – the more drive and enthusiasm you’ll have to achieve that big vision. It’s all about engaging people and giving them a sense of ownership.”
Keegan concludes: “It all fundamentally comes back to how land was used in the past, and what the opportunities are for the future. This Bill is a step towards connecting more people with the land and realising the full potential of what the land can deliver for everyone in Scotland.”
Management
The management of red deer numbers is another contentious topic covered in the Bill; it paves the way for statutory powers that would allow Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to draw up compulsory deer management plans where needed. The Scottish Wildlife Trust, like many conservation bodies, believes the current voluntary system of deer management simply isn’t working. “Over 20 years, it hasn’t delivered the public interest – in some areas sporting estates continue to maintain more deer than the land can support,”
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