Employment and communities need to be at the heart of land rights and responsibilities

Press Release

Proposed revisions to Scotland’s Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement could diminish the importance of communities and employment when placed next to the drive to reach net-zero.

Scottish Land & Estates has responded to a Scottish Government consultation on an amended statement which is due for review by September 2022. The Statement and its principles emerged from the Land Reform (Scotland) 2016 Act, and aims to “set out a vision of a strong and dynamic relationship between Scotland’s land and its people”.

The rural business organisation said it believed that a just transition to net-zero and responsible land management, including environmental investing, were already implicit in the existing statement and principles.

Sarah Madden, Policy Adviser (Rural Communities) at Scottish Land & Estates, said:

“Those who own land in Scotland are already making a vital contribution to the Scottish Government’s ambitious target to achieve net-zero by 2045.

“It is our view that some of the principles in the existing Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement, such as community engagement and responsible ownership, already encapsulate the rights and responsibilities relating to land management, access and use in Scotland and by default, net-zero targets. While we are supportive of the principles of achieving net-zero, it is also important that they do not completely override the many other issues facing rural Scotland, including housing and employment in decision-making. In the principles that accompany the statement, we would also like to see far greater emphasis on the importance of community resilience.

“The statement and its principles also need to be sympathetic to the need for private investment at scale to deliver projects that contribute to national environmental targets.”

SLE also said that more work needed to be done to develop a standardised natural capital position and accounting methods before including it in the Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement.

Sarah continued: “Whilst there is a broad understanding of what is meant by terms such as natural capital, we are still lagging behind in how that is measured and accounted for. Land managers may be undertaking positive environmental work but if this cannot be measured against metrics agreed by government and stakeholders then it is down to individual interpretation whether the Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement is being met and adhered to.

“Many SLE members are already playing their part by managing their land in a way that makes positive environmental contributions, as well as delivering housing, community facilities and managing our fantastic landscapes. We would like to see greater acknowledgment of the role these private landowners are playing in supporting the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of Scotland, which would in turn encourage others to contribute even more knowing that it will be recognised by government.”

To read the SLE consultation response click here.