Protect Scotland's nature from profiteering landowners
With Scotland’s nature in crisis, Scottish Green MSP Ariane Burgess has urged the Scottish Government to back her proposals to compel large landowners to set out plans for nature recovery in consultation with local communities.
The plan, which will be moved by Ariane as an amendment to the Land Reform Bill, would require large landowners to set out robust plans for how they will manage their land to promote nature’s recovery.
Scotland is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with 1 in 9 species at risk of extinction.
With half of Scotland’s land owned by less than 1% of people, our land distribution is some of the most unequal in Europe.
Ariane said:
“Scotland’s nature is in crisis and it is being made worse by years of neglect by too many vacant landowners who are letting it die around them.
“Our country should belong to all of us. We need to ensure that the large landowners are using their land in ways that benefit our nature and our environment, while giving local communities a say in how this is taken forward.
“Too many of the biggest land hoarders have shown that they can’t be trusted to do it of their own accord, so it is time for legislation that makes them do it.
“There is so much to do if we are to have any chance of restoring our habitats, woodlands, rivers and seas, but we are being held back by a small number of people who are happy to exploit the land around them without any care for the impact they are having.
“If we take bold steps to look after nature then it will look after us.
“With the right political will we can start to reverse the decline of nature while creating green jobs, boosting sustainable food production and ensuring clean air and water, and healthy rivers and seas.
“It would allow us to diversify how we use our land, helping us to change the story of climate change and nature loss into one where biodiversity thrives, and more rural jobs exist.”