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Chamber and committees

20 Years of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act

  • Submitted by: Ariane Burgess, Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party.
  • Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2022
  • Motion reference: S6M-07179

That the Parliament notes that 23 January 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003; believes that Scotland’s unique framework of access rights and responsibilities plays a vital role in delivering benefits to health and wellbeing, and also supports everyone in enjoying the outdoors and the natural world; notes that this has been particularly apparent during and after the COVID-19 pandemic; understands that people living in more affluent areas are more likely to walk for recreation; considers that increased efforts are needed to remove barriers to participation for both those living in more deprived areas, and other groups who face greater barriers to enjoying the outdoors; believes that these benefits can only be sustained by continued investment in supporting access rights, particularly through funding for access management, ranger services and local access forums; celebrates that the Scottish Government’s recent natural capital accounts placed a value of £62 billion on outdoor recreation, 30% of the value of all of Scotland’s natural assets, and showed it, in economic terms, to be equivalent to more than the value of oil and gas; congratulates outdoor organisations, land managers, volunteers and public bodies for working together to support a range of outdoor recreation opportunities and managing issues on the ground, and believes that this shows what can be achieved when everyone works together for the common good.


Supported by: Karen Adam, Alasdair Allan, Stephanie Callaghan, Maggie Chapman, Pam Duncan-Glancy, Rhoda Grant, Bill Kidd, Gillian Mackay, Ruth Maguire, Stuart McMillan, Marie McNair, Jenni Minto, Audrey Nicoll, Emma Roddick, Alex Rowley, Mark Ruskell, Paul Sweeney, David Torrance, Mercedes Villalba