Community access to land for adaptation, nature restoration and renewables

We are seeing a big transition in land ownership in Scotland, with investors seeking green investments - so called Green Lairds - buying up large tracts of Scotland's rural land in return for carbon credits and CSR benefits. Typically the profit from these activities does not benefit the local economy, and there is very little consultation with local people about local priorities. Furthermore this is pushing up land prices and making it harder for local people to buy and steward land.

Why the contribution is important

We need greater support for communities to buy land and share the benefits of the just transition.

by CatPayne on September 08, 2022 at 11:26AM

Current Rating

Average rating: 4.7
Based on: 7 votes

Comments

  • Posted by AngelaMLAnderson September 08, 2022 at 12:32

    There are real tensions here. Use of land has traditionally been up to the land owners. We should be looking at this in the round. Both rewilding and forresty planting can disturb habitats and soils which have established over millenia. wE need to balance of what is "best" use. Carbon sequestration is really imortant but not if we are then having to import food and export our carbon footprint. Heath and grassland may be more useful for sequestration than 40 year cropped forrestry. There is a lot to consider here.

  • Posted by grahamworrall September 08, 2022 at 13:25

    'Community's is too vague. In the Highlands it means a trust runs a fund of money but in practice these are run on out of date, nevercadhered to rules by small cleaks of people who please themselves

  • Posted by Eoghann September 08, 2022 at 14:40

    I'm not sure if this a good example or not, but worth considering - https://www.huntlydt.org/what-we-do/energy Angela's comment above is a valid one but is in itself a simplification. Many farmers are often hostile to other uses of land which they claim will reduce their ability to produce food, yet a very substantial proportion of the arable crop production in Scotland goes into the manufacture of alcohol. The lack of clarity and honesty in the use of land in Scotland is frequently oversimplified.

    It would also be good to see an independent and objective assessment of the effectiveness of some of the longer established community land ownerships in Scotland, such as the Assynt Crofters, Eigg Community Trust etc.
Log in or register to add comments and rate ideas