Investment into Land: Key Motivators and Behaviours of Scottish Landowners (Interim Report)

What were we trying to find out?We are interested in the decision-making processes, behaviours and motivations of landowners or land managers, particularly around their future land use decisions and investment strategies into their land.What did we do?We interviewed landowners and land managers in four case study areas across Scotland (River catchment of Spey and Tweed, Shetland Islands and Galloway and South Ayrshire Biosphere Reserve). We asked them about the land they manage and explored decision-making and motivations at various stages of their ownership/management. We also looked to the future and asked what they were planning, and if funds were required to reach their future land use goals.What did we learn?The results in this report are our first analysis of the data, with further reports due in later years of the project. From this initial analysis we sought to identify the key decision-making structures (primarily individual or group decision-making processes) We then created a set of personas, identifying key motivations or behaviours of each group.What do we recommend and what happens next?We aimed to interview the widest range of different landowners as possible to reflect the diverse nature of landownership in Scotland, including individual private owners, tenants, crofters, public organisations, community-owned land, businesses, institutions and natural capital investors. However, drawing generalisations amongst and between these groups was still difficult.The personas are a useful tool for policy-makers to understand the different dynamics within the landowners of Scotland. However, it is important to acknowledge that these generalisations should not entirely overshadow the nuance and diversity of behaviours and motivations at a granular/individual level, largely determined by the land itself or the personal beliefs/values/opinions of an individual.