Presentation given at 'Ecotourism in Scotland: Opportunities, Challenges and EU Standards', Edinburgh, February 2013.

1. Land management standards and
their application to ecotourism
Jayne Glass
Centre for Mountain Studies
Perth College UHI
Ecotourism in Scotland: Opportunities, Challenges and EU Standards
28 February 2013

2. Outline
• Who owns and manages Scotland’s land?
– Examples of ecotourism activities carried
out by rural estates
• Some relevant standards for landowners
– ‘Sustainable Estates toolkit’
– ‘Wildlife Estates Scotland’
– ‘Wild land management standards’
• Points for discussion

3. Who owns Scotland?

4. Private ownership
• Dominant form of ownership
• Mainly sporting estates (approx. 340 in total)
• 17 owners hold 10% of the country
• Ownership for leisure/pleasure
• Multi-functional land use

5. Public ownership
• Government-owned
land
• 12% of Scotland
(930,000 ha)
• Main owners:
– Forestry Commission
Scotland
– Scottish Natural
Heritage
– RPID Crofting and
Lowland Estates
Source: Scottish Government 2013

6. Conservation ownership
• 2% of Scotland
• Main landowners of rural estates
– John Muir Trust
– National Trust for Scotland
– RSPB
– Scottish Wildlife Trust
– Woodland Trust Scotland
• Conservation, interpretation and access
objectives

7. Community-owned
land
• Increase since 1990s and
Land Reform (Scotland)
Act 2003
• Community landowning
bodies include:
– Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust
– Knoydart Foundation
– North Harris Trust
• Objectives include local
economic development
and sustainability
Source: SAC 2012

8. Some examples of landowner-led
ecotourism

9. Eagle watching on
North Harris© North Harris Trust

10. Eagle watching on
North Harris
Ranger-led walks on Mar Lodge Estate

11. Pony trekking on Atholl Estates
© Atholl Estates
© Atholl Estates

12. Conservation holidays on Dundreggan Estate

13. Guided wildlife watching and photography
on Rothiemurchus Estate

14. Bird watching facilities on Abernethy Estate

15. Land management standards
1. Sustainable Estates Toolkit (UHI research
project)
2. Wildlife Estates Scotland (Scottish Land and
Estates, with partners)
3. Wild land management standards (John Muir
Trust)
How is ecotourism integrated within these frameworks?

16. Sustainable Estates toolkit
• PhD research
• Developed with a group of 19 stakeholders
between 2008 and 2010
• Flexible tool that allows landowners to assess
their progress against 12 actions
SUSTAINABILITY ACTIONS [12]
More sustainable Less sustainable
!
Proactive UnderactiveActive

17. Ecosystem
thinking
Broadening
options
Linking into
social fabric
Adapting
management
Thinking beyond
the estate
Sustainable estate principles [5]
SUSTAINABILITY ACTIONS [12]
More sustainable Less sustainable
!
Enabling
factors
Constraining
factors
Identify and understand
Proactive UnderactiveActive

18. Broadening
options
Linking into
social fabric
Adding value to estate business(es), services and experiences
► To ensure that long-term estate management objectives can
be supported financially, reducing pressure on external
public/private funding to support estate businesses;
► A focus on ‘users’ (visitors, communities, other user groups)
allows the development of USPs (Unique Selling Points),
products, services and experiences that can enhance financial
stability.
• e.g. income from guided walks, tours, wildlife photography
Facilitating employment and people development opportunities
► Estates can facilitate self-sufficient, robust local communities
by supporting local trades, products and suppliers;
► High-quality jobs with long-term, integrated training can
develop the potential for estate staff to act as ‘ambassadors’ for
the estate and interact with local communities and visitors.
• e.g. interactions with tourists on the land, supporting the
development of new local ecotourism businesses who use the
estate’s resource

19. Ecosystem
thinking
Maintaining and conserving the estate’s cultural heritage
► Cultural heritage assets have intrinsic value and need
conserving for current and future generations;
► It is possible to draw financial benefits from cultural
heritage assets (e.g. through the tourism industry).
• e.g. festivals, interpretive guides, heritage trails
To what extent does the
delivery of these actions
require a ranger service?

20. Wildlife Estates Scotland (WES)
• National version of EU label
• Demonstrates “how wildlife management
undertaken by Scottish landowners, in line
with the principles of biodiversity
conservation, can deliver multiple benefits for
society and rural communities”
• Aimed mainly at private landowners

21. Wildlife Estates Scotland (WES)
• Project advice from:
– Scottish Natural Heritage
– Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust
– RSPB Scotland
– Cairngorms National Park Authority
• Currently in development, with a piloting
phase and members of Scottish Land and
Estates encouraged to sign up to Stage 1 (SLE
has 2500 members)

22. Wildlife Estates Scotland (WES)
• Hunting as ecotourism?
• WES aims to create sustainable hunting across
Europe
• Estates are assessed on their adherence to:
– shooting/angling plans
– records of listed species
– game species management
– cultural heritage assets
– several indicators on biodiversity conservation and
sporting issues
Accreditation of the estate

23. Ten commitments of WES (Level 1)
1. Identification of the land owner or nominated representative for the
estate concerned.
2. Undertaking active wildlife management following a long-term
integrated wildlife management plan.
3. Maintaining records and monitoring delivery of the wildlife management
plan.
4. Undertaking sustainable shooting, stalking and/or fishing.
5. Managing for a sustainable balance of game, deer and other species and
their shared habitats.
6. Maintaining best practice standards of animal welfare.
7. Compliance with all legal requirements and relevant Scottish codes of
practice.
8. Adhering to the requirements of the Agreement between Birdlife
International and FACE on Directive 79/409/EEC, the European Charter
on Hunting and Biodiversity and the EU Commission’s Guide on Hunting
under the Birds Directive.
9. Maintaining active engagement with local communities and
undertaking education/awareness raising activities.
10. To apply for the Level 2 Accreditation process.

24. Wild land management standards
• John Muir Trust initiative
• To guide management of their own estates
and potentially others
• Owner of nine estates in remote areas
(covering over 25,000ha)
© John Muir Trust

25. Wild land management standards
• 28 management standards organised under:
– Management planning
– Soil
– Carbon and water
– Biodiversity and woodlands
– Deer and livestock
– Facilities and heritage
– Communities, visitors and awareness
© John Muir Trust

27. • Communities, visitors and awareness category
– 27. Maximise interpretation
E.g. review and maintain interpretation panels
– 28. Maximise education opportunities
E.g. Hold events such as talks, guided walks and open
days
Wild land management standards
© John Muir Trust

28. Points for discussion
• Is ecotourism on estates inherently linked with
business development?
• Where income generation is not paramount
(on all types of estates), what are the main
drivers for ecotourism activities?
• How important are ranger services and
facilities?

29. Links to more information
• Sustainable Estates Toolkit (please email me)
• Wildlife Estates Scotland
• Wild land management standards
jayne.glass.perth@uhi.ac.uk
Thank you

30. Panel discussion
• How can researchers and consultants best support
ecotourism and nature tourism providers to develop their
businesses?
• How can the ecotourism and nature tourism industry best
support researchers and consultants to develop both their
capacity and their understanding of this complex industry?
1. Each panel member will have the opportunity to address
one or both of those questions - maximum 5 minutes
2. Other seminar participants will then have the chance to
comment or respond
3. The discussion will conclude with one or two final key
points from each panellist.