Scotland's Land Use Strategy Annual Progress Report – 2024/2025

Strategies, Consultations and Plans

Biodiversity

In November 2024, the Scottish Government launched the Biodiversity Delivery Plan for 2024-2030. This contains over 100 actions to accelerate the pace and scale of efforts to address the biodiversity crisis.

It supports the Biodiversity Strategy, which sets out a strategic vision for a nature positive, net zero future where natural environment loss is halted and restored. Statutory targets for nature will be included in a new Natural Environment Bill which introduced in February 2025.

Delivery plan actions include:

• substantially reducing deer densities, protecting 30% of land for nature and developing a nature positive agriculture programme
• investing in nature restoration –more than £65 million over this parliament through the Nature Restoration Fund – woodland creation and peatland restoration
• tackling the indirect drivers of biodiversity loss, particularly engaging and strengthening the connection between people and nature

Supports: All landscapes

Consultation on building flood resilient places

In May 2024, the Scottish Government published a consultation on a proposed National Flood Resilience strategy seeking views on how to build community flood resilience and engage a broader range of delivery partners to implement more diverse flood management actions faster.

Scotland’s first National Flood Resilience Strategy was then published in December 2024. This sets out key actions such as:

• the establishment of a National Flood Advisory Service
• work to improve our understanding of how urban and rural landscapes can be adapted for flood mitigation

Supports: All landscapes

Consultation on crofting reform

June 2024 saw the launch of a consultation giving people across Scotland a chance to have a say on how crofting is reformed. The consultation sought to gather views on a range of proposals for crofting reform. The consultation looked at ways to help create opportunities for new entrants, encourage the active management and use of crofts and common grazings, and support rural population. It included proposals on:

• entry to crofting
• crofting communities
• use of common grazings
• strengthening residency and land use
• enhanced Crofting Commission powers
• simplifying crofting

Analysis of the consultation responses was published in December 2024.

Supports: Semi-natural land

Publication of Public Land Map

An interactive map showing information about publicly owned land, as well as land managed by Scottish Crown Estate, was published in December 2024. Public and Scottish Crown Estate managed land makes up 11% of Scotland – equivalent to around 857,000 hectares – meaning it is a vital national asset in tackling the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.

The information has been brought together as a searchable map for the first time and allows anyone to view the location and range of much of the public land in Scotland. Users can then explore information on individual land parcels, including its ownership and size.

Supports: All landscapes