Presentation of evidence presented to the Land Reform Review Group in April 2013. Full report available from: http://perth.uhi.ac.uk/specialistcentres/cms/CompletedProjects/Pages/NGOlandownershipstudy.aspx

1. Research feedback seminar
4th April 2013
Perth College UHI
THE SOCIOECONOMIC BENEFITS OF THE
OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT OF LAND BY
ENVIRONMENTAL NON-GOVERNMENTAL
ORGANISATIONS (NGOs)
Photo: David Ross

2. PROJECT STEERING TEAM
John Muir Trust (JMT)
National Trust for Scotland (NTS)
RSPB Scotland (RSPB)
Scottish Environment LINK (LINK)
Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT)
Woodland Trust Scotland (WTS)
Additional information from Borders Forest Trust, Plantlife and Trees for Life

3. 1 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
AIM: to identify and understand the key
socioeconomic benefits of landownership
and management by environmental NGOs
Photo: http://archive.bigben.id.au/terragen/ben_nevis/

4. 1 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVE A: To assess the extent of environmental
NGO land ownership and management in Scotland;
OBJECTIVE B: To determine the natural heritage
significance and landscape value of this land;
OBJECTIVE C: To determine key socioeconomic
benefits, including employment, access and visitor
numbers, volunteering and direct spend;
OBJECTIVE D: To assess the extent of community
engagement, including educational engagement,
partnership working with communities and others,
and collaborative initiatives.

5. 2 METHODOLOGY
OBJECTIVES A-C
› Database of ownership information
› GIS analysis
› Land coverage, conservation value, landscape value
› FTEs (organisational/site-related), visitor numbers,
volunteers, direct spend
› Five ‘exemplar case studies’ - data on: cultural and
heritage significance, status as a visitor attraction,
management objectives, site-related employment
and spend, volunteering, links with local
communities and other partners

6. 2 METHODOLOGY
CASE STUDIES
Site Owner Site type Management objectives
Ben Nevis JMT Large-scale
(mountain/rural)
Visitor management; wildness
enhancement
Mar Lodge NTS Large-scale
(mountain/rural)
Habitat restoration; integrated
management; tourism and
education
Abernethy RSPB Large-scale
(mountain/rural )
Habitat restoration;
interpretation
Livingston WTS Smaller scale
(urban)
Visitor management;
interpretation
Falls of
Clyde
SWT Smaller scale
(peri-urban)
Visitor management;
interpretation; habitat
management

7. 2 METHODOLOGY
OBJECTIVE D: To analyse the extent to which the
project NGOs carry out community engagement on
their sites.
› Direct engagement (local, educational etc.)
› Partnership working with neighbouring
communities and others
› Additional in-depth case studies (Great Trossachs
Forest and Cumbernauld Living Landscape)

8. 3. Extent and conservation/landscape
values of land owned and managed by NGOs

9. 3.1. SPATIAL EXTENT OF LAND OWNED AND
MANAGED BY NGO (GIS DATA)
NGO
No. of
sites
Total area
(ha)
% of
Scotland
Mean area
(ha)
Min area
(ha)
Max area
(ha)
NTS 94 76,073 1.01 112 <0.01 29,299
RSPB 74 66,793 0.85 903 1.82 19,331
JMT 9 24,459 0.31 2,718 149.14 6,444
SWT 120 19,820 0.25 165 0.08 6,191
WTS 56 8,633 0.11 154 0.36 4,882
BFT 5 1,324 0.02 265 8.07 660
Plantlife 1 1,261 0.02 1,261 1,261.00 1,261
TFL 1 4,028 0.05 4,028 4,028.14 4,028
Totals 360 202,391 2.62% 562.2 (mean site size)

10. 3.1. SPATIAL EXTENT OF LAND OWNED AND
MANAGED BY NGOS (TABULATED DATA)
NGO
No. of
sites
Owned land
(ha)
Land under
agreement (ha)
Total area
(ha)
% of all NGO
land
NTS 128 77,206.34 3.40 77,209.74 37.14%
RSPB 74 53,389.00 17,725.00 71,114.00 34.21%
JMT 9 24,461.00 - 24,461.00 11.77%
SWT 121 12,125.14 7,698.37 19,823.51 9.54%
WTS 57 8,643.80 - 8,643.80 4.16%
BFT 5 1,324.00 - 1,324.00 0.64%
Plantlife 1 1,261.00 - 1,261.00 0.61%
TFL 1 4,028.00 - 4,028.00 1.94%
Totals 396 182,438.28 25,426.77 207,865.05 100%

11. Land owned or
managed by
environmental NGOs
accounts for a
relatively small
proportion (2.6%)
of Scotland, with a
mean landholding
size across all
landholdings of 562
hectares

12. 3.2 NATURAL HERITAGE VALUE OF NGO LAND AS
INDICATED BY LEVEL OF DESIGNATION
Designation
type
Designation
area (ha)
Total area of NGO
land in each
designation type
(ha)
% of total NGO
land in each
designation
type
% of total
designation
area in NGO
land
SSSI 1,014,482.07 96,042.47 47.45% 9.47%
SPA 1,251,948.03 95,696.09 47.28% 7.64%
SAC 4,197,951.15 65,357.89 32.29% 1.56%
LNR 10,216.61 1,232.74 0.61% 12.07%
NNR 123,449.97 38,960.12 19.25% 31.56%
NP 639,149.57 52,494.26 25.94% 8.21%
RAMSAR 326,788.46 28,328.03 14.00% 8.67%
WHS 868.98 868.98 0.43% 100.00%

13. Nearly 50% of NGO owned and managed land is
designated as SSSI or SPA (or both), with over 30%
designated as SAC and over 19% designated as
NNR.
31% of all NNR land in Scotland is
owned/managed by NGOs.
Image from: bobhamiltonphotography.com

14. 3.2 NATURAL HERITAGE VALUE OF NGO LAND AS
INDICATED BY LEVEL OF DESIGNATION
Number of
designations
Area of NGO owned
and managed land
(ha)
% of total NGO
owned and
managed land
0 81,744.92 40.39
1 15,881.84 7.85
2 41,595.34 20.55
3 21,269.99 10.51
4 19,643.17 9.71
5 21,744.98 10.74
6 510.76 0.25

15. Significant areas of
NGO land are subject
to multiple
overlapping
designations, with
over 50% of all NGO
owned and managed
land subject to 2 or
more overlapping
designations and
over 30% subject to
3 or more.

16. 3.3 LANDSCAPE VALUE
AS INDICATED BY NSAs
48% of NGO owned
and managed land is
also designated as
National Scenic Area,
with NGO land again
accounting for a
disproportional amount
(9.6%) of the total area
of NSA designated land.

17. 3.3 LANDSCAPE VALUE
OF NGO LAND AS
INDICATED BY LEVEL OF
WILDNESS
Nearly 40% of the land
occurring within the
top 10% wildest parts
of Scotland is owned by
NGOs

18. 4 The socioeconomic benefits of NGO
landownership and management

19. 4.1 EMPLOYMENT
NGO
Number of
sites
FTEs directly
related to the
sites
Total FTEs (in
the
organisation)
% FTEs
related to land
management
JMT 24 7.08 35.3 20.1%
NTS 128 152i 463 32.8%
RSPB 74 113.2 368 30.2%
SWT 121 26 100 26.0%
WTS 57 7 24 29.2%
Totals 389 305.28 990.3
i The FTE figure for NTS is currently an estimate (figure to be confirmed).

20. CASE STUDY 1: ABERNETHY (RSPB)
› Direct on-site employment accounts
for 12.2 FTEs
› Osprey centre attracts 127,000
visitors per year
›Visitor expenditure is estimated to
support 69 FTEs locally
› Indirect employment: contractors,
local timber and venison dealers
› Direct annual spend: £583,000 (2012)

21. 4.2 FACILITATING PUBLIC ACCESS AND
INTERPRETATION
› All NGOs provide public access and interpretive
activities
› Ranger services
› Footpath management a major activity
› Significant development of facilities
› Wildlife watching infrastructure

22. CASE STUDY 2: LIVINGSTON WOODS (WTS)
› Focus on raising awareness of the
woodlands and biodiversity
› Developing a ‘safe’ environment
› Direct annual spend: £20,000 (2012)
› Upgrading paths a priority
› Regular volunteers and joint
community projects
›‘Branching Out West Lothian’

23. CASE STUDY 3: FALLS OF CLYDE (SWT)
› Major visitor attraction (over 70,000
annual visitors)
› Rangers regularly present on the
reserve
› Investment in path management
› Visitor Centre in New Lanark
› Peregrine Watch project
› Regular volunteers

24. 4.3 VISITORS TO NGO SITES
NGO
Number of
sites
Total estimated annual visits
(all sites)
JMT 24 236,450
NTS 128 1,390,260
RSPB 74 494,794
SWT 121 70,000
WTS 57 1,000,000
Totals 389 3,191,504

25. CASE STUDY 4: BEN NEVIS (JMT)
› 160,000 visitors a year
› 300-450,000 visitors in wider area
› Visitor management and path
restoration a priority
› Wildland Ranger and Conservation
Officer monitor the site’s ecology
› 3-6 conservation work parties per
year (30-95 volunteer days)

26. 4.4 VOLUNTEERING
NGO
Number of
sites
Number of volunteers directly
associated with sites
JMT 24 150
NTS 128 2,950
RSPB 74 496
SWT 121 400
WTS 57 150
BFT 5 70
TFL 1 427
Totals 389 5,482

27. CASE STUDY 5: MAR LODGE (NTS)
› Over 4,000 hours of volunteer activity
on the estate last year
› Range of individuals, organised
groups, long-term placements and
conservation camps.
› Visitor management plan and upland
path management
› Supported by a very active ranger
service

28. 4.5 DIRECT SPEND ON SITES
NGO
Total
hectares
Direct spend
related to
sites
2011/2012
(£)i
Total
expenditure
(across
organisation)
2011/2012 (£)
Percentage of
expenditure
allocated to land
management
Direct
spend per
hectare (£)
JMT 24,461.00 821,142 1,595,937 51.5% 33.57
NTS 77,209.74 28,530,000 42,116,000 67.7% 369.51
RSPB 71,114.00 5,151,000 12,590,000 40.9% 72.43
SWT 19,823.51 1,840,656 5,201,355 35.4% 92.85
WTS 8,643.80 1,046,500 1,181,500 88.6% 84.05
BFT 1,324.00 567,925 680,117 83.5% 428.9
TFL 4,028.00 160,000 560,000 28.6% 39.72
Totals 206,605.32 £37,637,223 £63,364,909 Mean: 59.3%

29. 5 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND
COLLABORATIVE WORKING

30. 5.1 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND LOCAL
WORKING GROUPS
› Rangers and community engagement officers
› Volunteer-run local groups (member based)
›NTS regional groups (engagement remit)
›Widespread public events

31. 5.2 ENGAGEMENT THROUGH EDUCATION
› Extensive range of activities
›Educational programmes (online and on sites/in
visitor centres – e.g. Living Classrooms)
›Educational materials linked to Curriculum for
Excellence
› Structured activities and awards for
children/young adults:
› RSPB and SWT kids’ groups
› John Muir Award

32. 5.3 PARTNERSHIP WORKING WITH COMMUNITIES
› Partnerships with community landholdings
› Direct financial support for buyouts and ranger
services (JMT,SWT)
› Land management advice for community landowners
› Formal Community Partnership Programme (NTS)
› Advice to private landowners (JMT-Corrour)
› Advice to farmers and biodiversity-friendly farming
projects (RSPB)

33. CASE STUDY 6: CUMBERNAULD LIVING
LANDSCAPE (SWT)
› SWT, Local Authorities and FCS
› ‘Sustainable place-making approach’
› Improving urban greenspace and
developing an integrated green network
›Extensive volunteer input and large
number of local community groups working
directly with SWT and various agencies

34. 5.4 COLLABORATIVE WORKING FOR LARGE-SCALE
ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION AND GREEN
NETWORKS
› Multi-stakeholder collaborative initiatives (Living
Landscapes, Futurescapes and TGTF)
› Landscape restoration and habitat connectivity
› Engagement with local communities and volunteers

35. CASE STUDY 7: GREAT TROSSACHS FOREST
(RSPB & WTS)
› Partnership with FCS
› Linking Loch Katrine, Glen Finglas (WTS)
and Inversnaid (RSPB)
› Planting new native woodland
› ‘Living laboratory’ and long-term
monitoring site
›Strategy to increase visitors
› Work with LLTNP and local
communities

36. 6 CONCLUSIONS
› Considerable wide ranging benefits associated with NGO ownership and
management of land
› Some of the finest land in Scotland (scenic, cultural and natural heritage)
› Indirect economic impacts not assessed – case studies indicate they are
considerable – scope for further work
› Access a key objective – links to Land Reform
› Community engagement widespread – more on educational elements.
› Greater focus on participative engagement emerging (including through
volunteering, regional groups etc.)
› Minority form of landownership – but clear emphasis on partnership
working and acting as exemplar sites.
› Importance of NGO ownership/management potentially increasing in a
time of rural change
› Potential for further work on reviewing impacts/benefits from wider
perspectives