Radical uses for Scotland’s land

We use our land for many things including providing food, sustaining communities and businesses and, increasingly, tackling the climate and biodiversity emergencies. How can we strike the right balance between those uses? What can we learn from international models of ownership, subsidy and use? And what could and should Scotland’s land look like to help us create fair and sustainable communities for the future?

Chair: Finlay Carson MSP, Convener of the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Panellists:

Andrew Thin, Chair of the Scottish Land Commission, has over thirty years of experience in leadership roles in the public, private and third sectors. He coordinated the work of the Agricultural Holdings Legislation Review in 2014. His previous public sector roles have included Crofters Commissioner, Chair of the Cairngorms National Park Authority, Chair of Scottish Natural Heritage, and until 2022 - Chair of Scottish Canals.

Dr Annie McKee, Senior Social Researcher at the James Hutton Institute and Convener of Rural Housing Scotland

Steven Young is the Director of Policy at Scottish Land and Estates, a member organisation for land managers across Scotland. The members are from very large to very small landholdings, with private, NGO and community owners, involved in a huge array of land management activity and rural business. Stephen joined SLE in 2019 to lead the policy team, providing advice and support to members on a range of rural issues. From farming roots, Stephen is a partner in his family dairy farm and has a background in agriculture and rural co-operatives.