Bill Howatson: Holistic approach to land use at heart of new policy plans

CIVIL servants in St Andrew's House are now assessing the responses to the draft Scottish land use strategy - the first of its kind - and are preparing to present their findings to Parliament in March next year.

This is no small task given the historical baggage that is associated with the vexed subject in Scotland, coupled with the fact that achieving a consensual approach among competing interests has proved impossible.

What is required for the future of one of Scotland's most valuable natural assets is a vision, and one that allows a plan to "sit down in one place", according to the Cabinet secretary for rural affairs, Richard Lochhead.

An essential ingredient of any land use policy - and this emerged unequivocally from the 500 participants who took part in the national workshops on the draft strategy earlier this year - is an integrated and holistic approach.

Given that the strategy resulted from Climate Change Bill, it concentrates largely on the low carbon economy, tree planting targets and initiatives to mitigate climate change impacts.

But there is more. It is also about achieving long-term objectives such as sustainable land use, supporting rural businesses, and delivering multi benefits from the countryside.

It is not, as Scottish farming leaders have come to recognise, about farmers despite the fact that agriculture is the primary land use covering 5.5 million hectares - 70 per cent of Scotland's total land mass. It is focused on connecting the people with the land and reaching out to the 80 per cent of the population that occupies 6 per cent of Scottish land in urban settlements.

The draft strategy is not a map for the future, rather a set of high level principles. All this underlines the magnitude of the challenge facing those required to bring it forward in under four months.

The strategy bears the unmistakeable imprint of the environmental lobby. For their part, farmers will have to be prepared to read the signals.

It is significant that the document encapsulates some of the stronger themes of the 21st century built around reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and opening up the countryside to a wider audience and exposing land use to greater scrutiny and debate.It speaks about community involvement, and local decision-making on land use issues, but, as history has shown repeatedly, how that can be translated into a real process without creating an overly complex governance structure is open to debate.

The ultimate challenge in this context is to balance community aspirations against land owning interests that have very clear views about losing influence over their property.

Multi land use is both aspirational and important because it provides a way around so many of the past difficulties, but it will require a seismic change in thinking from traditional interests. If landowners are to provide more public benefits, they will rightly seek some form of compensation from the public purse.

Fleshing out the reality and practicalities of multi land use will be one of the challenges for the strategy. It has long been argued that one of the prime functions of land use has been food production. And while that remains a basic tenet on high-quality farm land, a conflict arises with the Scottish Government's target of increasing forestry cover to 25 per cent by 2050.

If this target is to be met, not only will greater consideration need to be given to small and commercial woodland, but farmers will have to re-think their historic scepticism about the role of forestry, and its contribution to fighting climate change.

Innovative, "out-of-the-box" thinking is essential in this context.

Significantly, the draft strategy stops short of supporting more planting of commercial forestry, which should clearly be site specific and offer clear and tangible benefits to the wider community.

The opportunities that arise from a Scottish land use strategy should not be underestimated. Climate change is a compelling driver, and a strategy is long overdue. It can neither be prescriptive, nor trapped in the past.

To be acceptable is has to see primary producers retain a fairer return from the supply chain, promote a sustainable lower-carbon economy, and be underpinned by prosperous land based businesses, flourishing natural environments and, not least, vibrant communities with a real stake in their hinterland.

The strategy will require different stakeholders to be adaptable and reach a view on well-informed, science based, decision-making, and pay heed to local circumstances.

And for rural businesses to benefit, they will have to see a clear policy framework as an integral part of a strategic approach to land use.