Land Use around Cairndow

Rural land use affects nearly everybody but especially those who live in rural communities like Cairndow. The way the land is used affects how an area looks as well as its economy but perhaps most crucial of all is the way present day land use affects the environment and economy of future generations. Many people are involved in making decisions about land use including politicians, scientists, environmentalists, economists and perhaps most important of all land owners.

Changing Land Ownership in Cairndow

The maps below show the ways in which land ownership has changed in Cairndow over the years. In 1905 there was only one land owner, but today there are at least 8 and in addition quite a few home owners. This fragmentation reflects pattern over much of the Highlands. It raises questions about the way in which the land is, and will be, managed and how this will affect local communities, visitors, the local economy and the environment.

Click on images to see larger.

Questions raised...

• How is the land managed?
• What impact could changes have on local communities, visitors, the economy and the environment?
• What will the future pattern be?

Whose say is going to count?

• Will the Land Reform Act * mean further fragmentation of ownership?
• Will more of the land be used for informal recreation and tourism, as opposed to 'traditional' activities?
• Will farmers have to be less focused on producing food, and more on providing services and facilities?
• If so, what will the land look like? And what will it mean for animals, birds and plant life?
• Will new access rights have an impact on the way in which areas of land are managed?

Who is responsible, who benefits?

Responsibilities of Land Ownership

Land ownership brings responsibilities to current and future generations. In order to manage it, land owners have to find ways in which the land can contribute to income generation and employment. Most land owners cannot afford to disregard available grants and subsidies ... thus government policy affects the way the land is managed, how it looks and what it produces.

Click to see larger.

Who is going to pay?

What the landscape looks like has been influenced by economics.

• Oakwoods were valued and managed for smelting and tanning.
• Bracken was cut as bedding, for potash, and to improve gazing.
• "Power to the Glens", the demand for power dictated compulsory land acquisition and hydro schemes and pylons throughout the Highlands in the 1950's.
• Hill farming subsidies per headage encouraged large flocks and herds (and fanks and sheds).
• Currently there are grants for planting and fencing native broadleaf trees.

Why do people want to own land and how do they use it?

What local land owners think (extracts)....

Johnny Turnbull, bought Strone Estate in 1993:
"The biodiversity on the estate has improved substantially (since 1993). We have roe deer now, we have black grouse (where there were none before), the heather is regenerating, we have tree regeneration on the hill, albeit not sufficient to meet forestry authority targets, I hope that limited cattle on the hill might further improve this. If only I could get an improving run of migratory fish I would feel I had made a real contribution achieving my aims."

David Sumsion, inherited Ardkinglas Estate in 2002:
"The Estate has changed dramatically during the past thirty years, moving from the 'traditional' sporting estate providing fishing and stalking for the estate owner's guests to a radically different model which includes many new commercial enterprises. The traditional model had changed little in a hundred years, required substantial funds to be put into the Estate by the owner, and provided direct employment for the majority of those living in the area. The new model resulted in a dramatic reduction in the number of direct employees, outweighed by a much greater increase in the number of people employed by the new businesses that started up,- an oyster farm, restaurant and smokery, a salmon farm, a salmon hatchery, a gravel & rock quarry and a workshop. Most of these companies lease land from the Estate and these rents provide the core of the Estate's income. The Estate's own enterprises include the Tree Shop and the Woodland Garden in addition to the long-standing activities of farming, forestry and stalking."