Land use strategy: annual progress report 2021/2022

Introduction

The way we own, use and manage our land is fundamental to how we live in Scotland and it plays an integral part in delivering outcomes across our National Performance Framework such as the Environment, Economy, Communities and Health. Through the Land Use Strategy we have set out our long term vision for sustainable land use, and we compile annual progress reports documenting Scotland’s journey towards realising this vision.

This report summarises the actions taken or announced in 2021-2022 that contribute towards sustainable land use. We have used the Future Scotland graphic from the Third Land Use Strategy (LUS3) overleaf to illustrate what some of these actions might look like in practice. Also included for the first time is a series of case studies from across Scotland to showcase how land use can deliver benefits for nature, communities and our economy.

Legislative background

Land use has long been recognised as playing a vital role in tackling the climate and environment crises and adapting to inevitable climate change. Section 37A of The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019 places a legal duty on Scottish Ministers to produce annual progress reports on the Land Use Strategy.

This document is the third of such reports and covers the period of March 2021 to March 2022. It is the first edition to report for Scotland’s Third Land Use Strategy 2021 -2026, published March 2021.