A just response to the biodiversity and climate crises
The twin nature crises are of central importance to us and our members. We recognise and strongly support the pressing need for action to address both the climate emergency and linked biodiversity crisis. We are working to highlight and support community-led action on these crises.
We are at the forefront of promoting the community-led response to ecological crisis and demonstrate the good work our members are undertaking. We focus on the following areas to achieve this:
- Work with a broad range of allies to demonstrate that community landownership and empowered communities can and should be at the heart of our response to the nature crises
- Ensure that large-scale interventions based upon natural capital ventures do not work against the policy objectives of diversifying land ownership, building community wealth, ensuring a Just Transition to Net Zero and furthering community landownership
- We need to work at landscape scale to address the crises, but collaboratively and across multiple landholdings, as many of our members and colleagues on the European mainland do
- We need to hold government to account on its pledge for a ‘just transition' and ensure that the rush toward carbon markets, renewables and rewilding does not undermine other key policy objectives outlined above
We will continue to advocate for community-led action on the climate emergency and biodiversity loss, as evidenced by rural and urban community landowners in Scotland, in ways which support the sustainable development of individual communities and of Scotland as a whole.
Climate and Biodiversity Resources
Climate and Biodiversity News
Community efforts vital in fight to save the natural world
The debate continues over wealthy ‘green lairds’ buying land and receiving public money for environmental projects, used to offset harmful carbon emissions from their normal commercial activities.
Green Lairds and Urban Scotland
Scottish land markets are changing quickly due in part to global demand for low and zero carbon investments. Investors and the super-rich, the so-called “Green Lairds”, are buying up large landholdings for “rewilding” and other carbon offset projects.
Community Landowners – A Distinctive Contribution to Addressing the Climate Emergency
Community Land Scotland has published research on the distinctive contribution that community landowners are making to addressing the climate emergency.
Invitation from Community Land Scotland to participate in a research survey on community land ownership and the climate emergency
Scotland’s diverse sector of asset-owning community organisations is helping to address the climate emergency. This is being achieved through a range of initiatives. Community bodies are providing education and advice