Land

The Natural capital opportunities for farmers survey has been launched and will help to support development of future payment schemes.  

Natural capital is the umbrella term for natural assets that benefit humankind such as woodlands, peatlands and rivers. Ecosystem services are the benefits that flow from these assets, for example carbon storage and clean water.

Draft regulations allowing local authorities to charge up to double the full rate of Council Tax on second homes have been laid before the Scottish Parliament.  

The Scottish Rural and Islands Parliament (SRIP) is an important opportunity for voice of rural and island communities to help reinforce the importance of local democracy and to help shape the emerging Rural Delivery Plan. The theme of this year’s SRIP was Village Halls and Community Spaces.

The Scottish Land Commission is taking a groundbreaking step to ensure the well-being of local communities by introducing fresh guidelines that emphasise the importance of community-centred land use decisions.

A new grant scheme has been created as part of the 2023 National Litter and Flytipping Strategy to aid private landowners in deterring flytipping on their land.

Zero Waste Scotland is administering the funding, on behalf of SEPA, to aid private landowners towards interventions that will prevent flytipping on private land.

Holyrood’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee has today launched a call for views to inform its consideration of the Scottish Government’s Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill. 

The legislation represents the Scottish Government’s ‘vision for agriculture’ to transform farming and food production in Scotland and to make it a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

The Scottish Government and NatureScot, working in partnership with the National Lottery Heritage Fund, with the support of the Green Finance Institute, have announced a second round of a grant scheme to support projects that shape and grow the use of private investment and market-based mechanisms to finance the restoration of Scotland’s nature.

Crofting is at the heart of many rural communities and has been for generations, throughout the Highlands and Islands. The Commission has responsibility for both regulating and promoting crofting as a viable and beneficial way of managing land and supporting communities.