ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a brief review of the debate on land reform in Scotland. It focuses on some of the proposals for changes in tenurial arrangements affecting rural land. One of the most important environmental aspects is the availability of financial incentives for good land management. Arguably the most important influence over land use which will be almost wholly within the jurisdiction of the Scottish Parliament is land tenure. Despite the level of public interest in land ownership and use, there has been no comprehensive and readily comprehensible official source of information on who owns Scotland. While ownership is usually a central determinant of land uses, so too is financial incentive. Agricultural land has always been exempt from non-domestic rates. Most land reform proposals include a mechanism for intervening in the market in the public interest. Purchase of land could be made conditional on the preparation of a satisfactory management plan.
