Welcome to the Land Decisions podcast series.
We are sharing stories and testimonies about land decisions, how they are made and how they are shaped by different cultures. In particular, the series shares stories from people in Scotland’s sparsely-populated areas.
These sparsely-populated areas cover almost half of the country – including extensive areas in the Highlands & Islands and Southern Uplands – but they are home to just 2.6% of the population. They are culturally and environmentally rich, but their communities face demographic challenges which – in the absence of intervention – pose serious economic, social, cultural and environmental risks.
One of the critical factors in securing a sustainable and thriving future for these areas is democratic participation in land decisions. Scottish laws and policies recognise that people should be able to take part in decisions about the land and environment where they live, but this is often not the experience of what happens in practice.
To understand why not – and to identify and learn from good practice – it is important to consider the impact of different cultures of decision-making. This means talking about the (often implicit) attitudes, habits of thoughts, ways of working, values and priorities which influence how people and organisations think, act and behave. These cultures shape how decisions are made and who is involved, both positively and negatively.
The podcasts are conversations between diverse people from across Scotland’s sparsely-populated areas, with a focus on those places where community landownership is changing cultures of land decisions on the ground.
The Land Decisions podcast series is brought to you by Community Empowerment and Landscape Decision-Making Network. Find out more.
If you have an idea for a conversation for the series, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us.
Image credit: Michal Klajban, 2018
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