Getting the best from our land: A land use strategy for Scotland.

The Getting the best from our land: A land use strategy for Scotland Strategy (2011) sets out a long term Vision towards 2050 on land uses. The Strategy's vision is "A Scotland where we fully recognise, understand and value the importance of our land resources, and where our plans and decisions about land use deliver improved and enduring benefits, enhancing the wellbeing of our nation".
The Strategy's objectives are three and are related to economic prosperity, environmental quality and communities. In order to secure these Objectives, the Strategy identifies key Principles for sustainable Land Use which reflect Government policies on the priorities which should influence land use choices. The objectives follow: 1) Land based businesses working with nature to contribute more to Scotland’s prosperity; 2) Responsible stewardship of Scotland’s natural resources delivering more benefits to Scotland’s people; 3) Urban and rural communities better connected to the land, with more people enjoying the land and positively influencing land use.
The Strategy's proposals are 13 and, beyond proposals 1 and 2 that fall under a general category, are organized under three main themes: Land use and business (3 to 7), Land use and the environment (8 to 10), and Land use and communities (11 to 13). The proposals are: 1) Publish an action plan following publication of the Strategy. 2) Provide an annual progress statement on the Land Use Strategy. 3) Align land‐use regulations and incentives with Land Use Strategy Objectives. 4) Further encourage land‐based businesses to take actions that reduce land‐based greenhouse gas emissions and that enable adaptation to climate change threats and opportunities. 5) Use the Land Use Strategy Objectives to influence negotiations on CAP reform. 6) Use demonstration projects to determine the best means by which land use and land management practice can contribute to climate change objectives. 7) Identify more closely which types of land are best for tree planting in the context of other land‐based objectives, and promote good practice and local processes in relation to tree planting so as to secure multiple benefits. 8) Demonstrate how the ecosystem approach could be taken into account in relevant decisions made by public bodies to deliver wider benefits, and provide practical guidance. 9) Develop a methodology to take account of changes in soil carbon for carbon accounting purposes; improve understanding of potential benefits from conservation and management of carbon‐rich soils; and deliver measures to help secure long‐term management of all land‐based carbon stores. 10. Investigate the relationship between land management changes and ecosystem processes to identify adaptation priorities. 11) Develop the land‐use aspects of our Climate Change Adaptation Framework to support communities as they adapt to change. 12) Identify and publicize effective ways for communities to contribute to land‐use debates and decision‐making. 13) Provide a Land Use Information Hub on the Scottish Government website.
To increase the resilience of livelihoods to disasters, main actions are included in each Strategy's broad theme and touch several proposals. For instance the Strategy encourage land‐based businesses to take actions that reduce land‐based greenhouse gas emissions and that enable adaptation to climate change threats and opportunities. Use demonstration projects to determine the best means by which land use and land management practice can contribute to climate change objectives.