Research Briefing: Assessing the relative influence of land use policies on land managers
What were we trying to find out?
Scotland has a suite of different policies relating to land use, reflecting the complexities of balancing different land-use aims, including food production and forestry, environmental protection, climate change mitigation and socio-economic benefits. This research explored the relative influence of different land-use policies on the decision-making processes of a range of different key stakeholders.
What did we do?
We used Q methodology to systematically draw out subjective perspectives on land use and agricultural policy from Scottish land use stakeholders. This Q study involved participants ranking different land-use policies based on their perceived influence on land-use decisions and their ability to achieve their organisation’s goals for land-use. Organisations with direct influence over land-use decisions and membership organisations (whose members managed land and made land-use decisions) were interviewed. Interviews with 12 organisations were conducted between February – March 2024.
What did we learn?
The analysis identified 5 distinct representative perspectives (factors) on the influence of land-use policies on decision-making processes: (1) ‘Conservationists’; (2) ‘Public and Community Interests’; (3) ‘Food Producers’; (4) ‘Private Interests’; and (5) ‘Crofting Interests’. There was a high degree of divergence between these perspectives underscoring the contested nature of land-use aims and consequently the land-use policy landscape in Scotland. Key themes emerging from the analysis highlighted the high degree of influence attributed to incentive-based legislation and financial support, the impact of uncertainty, complexity, and lack of clarity within the policy landscape, and a preference for landscape-scale approaches.
What do we recommend?
The recommendations include: (1) establishing a clear framework for financial support and conditions in the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill1; (2) enhancing advisory and knowledge exchange services to support sustainable land-use practices and navigate policy complexities; and (3) implement landscape-scale approaches which can combine democratically informed landscape-scale land-use with targeted regulations and environmental protections. Such a model could be explored in the context of the Scottish Government’s commitment to designating at least one new National Park by 2026, in the evolution of the Rural Support Plan that details agricultural and rural development support schemes, the next land use strategy and the upcoming Just Transition Plan for agriculture and land use.
