Land reform in a Net Zero Nation: consultation paper

Part 14: Key terms

Agri-tourism - A tourism or leisure activity on a working farm, croft or estate which produces food.

Biodiversity - The variety of life on earth, essential for sustaining the ecosystem that provide us with food, fuel, health, wealth, and other vital services.

Carbon credits - A permit which allows a country or organisation to produce a certain amount of carbon emissions, and which can be traded if the full allowance is not used.

Carbon offsetting - The action or process of compensating for carbon dioxide emissions arising from industrial or human activity, by participating in schemes designed to make equivalent reductions of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Common good land - Common good is property owned by a local authority which has been passed down, through local government reorganisation, from former burghs. Those burghs would have received it as a gift or purchased it. It includes land and buildings, and moveable items such as furniture and art.

Community body - A community organisation whose constitution or articles of association are compliant with the requirements of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.

Community Wealth Building - A people-centred approach to local economic development, which redirects wealth back into the local economy, and places control and benefits into the hands of local people.

Conveyancing - The legal process that transfers ownership of land/land assets/buildings from the seller to the buyer.

Cross-compliance -Cross Compliance is a mandatory set of requirements and standards that land managers have to meet in order to receive support scheme payments.

Independent adjudication - A process where a neutral and independent person/organisation looks at information about a disagreement, and decides what action the parties should take to resolve it.

Independent enforcement - A process where a neutral and independent person/organisation uses civil, criminal or regulatory powers to compel parties to a dispute to take steps to resolve it.

Just transition - The Climate Change Act 2019 embeds the principles of a just transition; this means as we reduce our emissions and respond to a changing climate, our journey is fair and creates a better future for everyone – regardless of where they live, what they do, and who they are.

Landholding - An area of land that is owned or held by a person or organisation.

Small Landholding - Small Landholdings and Statutory Small Tenancies (SST) are tenanted holdings, subject to the Small Landholders (Scotland) Acts 1886 to 1931 ("the Landholders Act") that only exist in Scotland outwith the Crofting Counties.

Mediation - A means of exploring, resolving or reducing disagreement between persons involving an impartial person that Scottish Ministers consider appropriate.

Nature gain - An approach to development and/or land management that aims to leave the natural environment in a measurably better state than it was beforehand.

Natural capital - The world's stock of natural resources. This includes air, water, minerals and all living things.

Net zero - The balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere. We reach net zero when the amount we add is no more than the amount taken away.

Off-market sales - A property that is sold without any public advertising.

Registered Social Landlord - A housing association or other organisation registered with the Scottish Housing Regulator.

Renewable Energy - Energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power.