New insights into landownership and partnerships from the mountains of Scotland

The mountains and uplands of Scotland are a valuable natural asset with a range of land uses including forestry, game management, and biodiversity conservation. As the need to address climate change becomes more urgent, there is increased pressure on landowners and land managers to find ways of integrating land uses and collaborating at a landscape scale to deliver wider societal benefits alongside local socioeconomic goals. Land reform policy in Scotland has promoted the role of communities in contributing to a more sustainable future in upland areas. Given the diversity of private, public, NGO, and community-owned land in the uplands, there are many different land use objectives and priorities. The Scottish Government is working toward the implementation of Regional Land Use Partnerships that will seek consensus between stakeholders and the development of frameworks to deliver optimal benefits at the regional scale. A key role of such partnerships is to tackle long-standing polarization and conflict on key issues such as deer management, woodland expansion, and ecological restoration.