Looking forward to the series! I’m curious about how Scotland’s land ownership distribution (400-odd bodies owning ca. 50%) compare to other countries? Is government included as one off the 400 bodies?
Thank you, and great question! The data isn't ideal — the numbers I cited come from Andy Wightman's rigorous work over the past decade and a bit, which capitalises on Scotland's relatively open land register (emphasis on relatively, as some ownership entries are still dug away in the sasines register). Other countries and regions don't have this granularity, so apples to apples comparisons — at least to my knowledge — are difficult. Roughly comparing Scotland to one of the more unequal global regions in land ownership terms, Latin America, serves a purpose though. Here the ratios are roughly similar, but because of data's focus on primarily agricultural land we can't say for certain (see: landcoalition.org/en/uneven-ground/shocking-state-land-inequality-world/). One other dynamic that is obscured in this discussion that is worth noting is the ratio of foreign to domestic land ownership, which I don't intend to write about given my arguments are ecologically-centred.
Regardless, I highly recommend checking Andy Wightman's work out: whoownsscotland.org.uk Very much worth paying for the subscription just to play around with the mapping tool he provides!
Also a great question. Individual parcel sizes are getting smaller, but total acreage and thereby total distribution is about the same, if not slightly more concentrated. Andy Wightman's work underpins this observation: andywightman.scot/2024/10/french-government-sells-scottish-forests/
I'll be writing more about the trajectory of land ownership distribution in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!
Looking forward to the series! I’m curious about how Scotland’s land ownership distribution (400-odd bodies owning ca. 50%) compare to other countries? Is government included as one off the 400 bodies?
Thank you, and great question! The data isn't ideal — the numbers I cited come from Andy Wightman's rigorous work over the past decade and a bit, which capitalises on Scotland's relatively open land register (emphasis on relatively, as some ownership entries are still dug away in the sasines register). Other countries and regions don't have this granularity, so apples to apples comparisons — at least to my knowledge — are difficult. Roughly comparing Scotland to one of the more unequal global regions in land ownership terms, Latin America, serves a purpose though. Here the ratios are roughly similar, but because of data's focus on primarily agricultural land we can't say for certain (see: landcoalition.org/en/uneven-ground/shocking-state-land-inequality-world/). One other dynamic that is obscured in this discussion that is worth noting is the ratio of foreign to domestic land ownership, which I don't intend to write about given my arguments are ecologically-centred.
Regardless, I highly recommend checking Andy Wightman's work out: whoownsscotland.org.uk Very much worth paying for the subscription just to play around with the mapping tool he provides!
Similarly, do we know if land distribution is getting more or less concentrated over time?
Also a great question. Individual parcel sizes are getting smaller, but total acreage and thereby total distribution is about the same, if not slightly more concentrated. Andy Wightman's work underpins this observation: andywightman.scot/2024/10/french-government-sells-scottish-forests/
I'll be writing more about the trajectory of land ownership distribution in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!