Blog

Heather burning: A traditional tool backed by the latest science and best practice

Setting the heather alight is an idiom that most are familiar with – even if some might not be sure exactly where the phrase originated from. The benefits of controlled heather burning on moorland has long been known to land managers and scientists and the

Scottish Tourism Trends: Wellness

Celebrating Scottish Tourism has grown from the traditional week in March, to taking over the entire month and rightfully so with the incredible contribution the industry makes to Scotland. Around 1 in 12 of our Registered Businesses are in tourism, employing

Hitting the sweet spot

This weeks blog has been written by David Lee, Communications Adviser to Scotland's Finest Woods Awards. Scotland's Finest Woods Awards highlights all that is best in Scotland's management of its woods and forests, showcasing how they contribute to the wealth

Livestock Worrying - An Increasing Issue

This week’s blog is by Inspector Alan Dron, National Rural Crime Coordinator with Police Scotland. Throughout Scotland, regardless of geographical location there is rarely a that day passes without a report of livestock worrying being received by Police

Farmland waders - Populations in peril

A once common sight across Scottish farmland, breeding waders have declined in recent decades, not only in Scotland but across the UK and North-West Europe. These declines are primarily due to agricultural improvement of their favoured wet grassland habitats,

New protocol underlines good community engagement practice

I’m sure we’d all agree that good relations between land owners, land managers, rural businesses and local communities are in our shared interests. And it’s in this spirit that we welcome the Scottish Land Commission’s (SLC) publication of the first in a

Evidence and emotion: getting the balance right in Scottish land management

I think it would be fair to say that most people love Scotland’s countryside. That’s certainly the case with Scotland’s land owners and managers, who live, work or play in our communities. It’s their passion that drives them to invest in and care for rural

Brexit or not - are you ready?

Apparently 62% of Scottish businesses have done no contingency or scenario planning to help prepare for Brexit. Whether that’s exactly right, the figure doesn’t surprise us here at Scottish Land & Estates, and indeed we’d expect it to be even higher in land

Putting people at the heart of the countryside

Scottish Land & Estates chairman David Johnstone looks ahead to 2019. When you think of rural Scotland, what springs to mind first? Diverse wildlife? Beautiful landscapes? Outdoor pursuits? Whatever it is for you, there’s one thing that I feel is often

Scotland is blazing a trail in mountain bike tourism

Karen Ramoo, who leads on access in our policy team, explains some of the work going on to ensure Scotland’s growth in mountain bike tourism is safe and sustainable. Scotland’s mountain biking sector is very important to our economy and to our vision of a