Scottish Land & Estates attended this weeks National Ecological Networks Conference hosted by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. Sessions included consideration of funding ecological networks and green infrastructure and reconciling competing land use priorities. The need to work in partnership across many sectors, not least with land managers, was advocated. There was particuluar comment that funding needed to be with those that could deliver ie. land managers but that it needed to exist over a longer time frame than is currently the case.
Paul Wheelhouse MPS, Minister for the Environment, spoke at the conference’s parliamentary reception on Wednesday evening, which was attended by the Scottish Land & Estates CEO. The Minister highlighted Scotland's Land Use Strategy and the emphasis within it on delivering eco system services.