Engaging and empowering communities and stakeholders in rural land use and land management in Scotland

Practical

Functional

Improvement of the quality of the decision

Inclusion of a wide range of specialist and local knowledge holders to integrate knowledge and ensure that decisions are better informed

Instrumental

A way of getting an outcome and making progress more easily

Inclusion of a wide range of people so that there is 'buy-in' and less or no resistance later

Reputation

Maintaining the reputation of the organisation/s involved

A concern that making a decision without engaging others will damage the credibility and reputation of the organisation/s

Financial

Carrying out the work in the most cost effective way

A wish to avoid costly delays and legal challenge

Compliance

Ensuring work complies with relevant legal instruments and policy on participation

Ensuring that decisions comply with legal requirements and cannot later be challenged in law

Principled

Democracy

Commitment to inclusion as a moral imperative

People should be included because they have a right to be involved in decisions that affect them

Emancipation

Commitment to including those who have been marginalized in the past

Emphasis on social inclusion of less privileged groups who most often suffer from environmental degradation

Representation

Ensuring representatives of all relevant social categories have a voice

The only way of getting an outcome that is fair is to ensure that representatives match the demographics of those who will be affected