Land use strategy: fourth annual progress report 2022-2023

Introduction

The way we own, use, and manage our land is fundamental to how we live in Scotland. It plays an integral part in delivering outcomes across our National Performance Framework such as the Environment, Economy, Communities and Health. It supports the Scottish Government’s – our missions for 2026, and will be central to supporting a just transition to net zero fair, green and growing economy.

This report summarises the actions taken or announced in 2022-2023 financial year 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 are 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 mitigating and adapting to the climate and environment crises. 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 2022 to March 2023. It is the second edition to report for Scotland’s Third Land Use Strategy 2021 -2026, published March 2021.