Scotland’s grouse moors are under fire—not just for environmental damage, but for symbolising a broken land system that benefits the few at the expense of the many. As public support for bold land reform grows, campaigners say it’s time to confront the invisible power protecting privilege and reshape the future of Scotland’s uplands, says Max Wiszniewski

When we asked Scots what they thought about land reform, focus group participants immediately raised concerns about large landowners. Concerns about their power, their lack of accountability and their failure to serve the communities around them.

If you want to understand why people know there was something wrong, look at a grouse moor.

Grouse moors represent everything that's broken about Scotland's land system, concentrated into one highly visible package.

They're managed for the shooting pleasure of a tiny elite. They contribute pitifully to our economy while occupying vast tracts of land. They actively damage our environment through muirburn, holding moorland back from natural regeneration and increased biodiversity. They exclude local communities from having a meaningful say over land that shapes their futures, and they've been protected by what focus group participants called "invisible power" - the quiet influence of wealth and privilege that keeps land reform at bay.

Read more:

The Big Land Question - the largest independent study of Scottish attitudes to land ownership ever conducted. More than double the number of people responded to Big Land Question’s public consultation compared to consultation for the Land Reform Bill currently going through parliament. Of those responses, 87% backed carbon emissions taxes on large landowner’s land. Focus groups wanted penalties for landowners who........

© Herald Scotland