The Politics of the Hills

With an election coming up, it seems opportune to examine what demands are being placed on political parties as to how to approach the several problems which adorn the Scottish hills. It may or may not be relevant that around half of current MSPs are due to step down, with their replacements being inclined — or not — to follow the party line, if any.

The John Muir Trust (JMT) had three "key asks" in its "2026 Scottish Manifesto for a Wilder Scotland", in September 2025:

• Fund a National Deer Management Plan to bring deer numbers down to sustainable levels, by redirecting existing subsidies to total £59 million over the first four years of its implementation, and increasing the annual deer cull from 180,000 to 250,000. It is claimed that "Such actions will help triple Scotland's total woodland creation target while saving £900 million in taxpayers' money … creating an additional 350,000ha of native woodland, and putting an end to peatland degradation caused by overgrazing and trampling".
• Introduce a Carbon Emissions Land Tax Bill to encourage landowners owning over 1,000ha in Scotland to manage land for nature, climate and communities. Tax rates should escalate over time, and tax revenue should be reinvested in the communities most affected by polluters.
• Legislate for a new Nature Restoration designation, aimed at setting aside 10% of Scotland's land as areas where natural processes take the lead, protecting land from industrial developments.

More recently, JMT has called for "a pause on major energy infrastructure planning applications", a video on its website shows how wind farm visibility across the Highlands has increased since 1995.

Community Land Scotland issued its "Manifesto for People, Place and Power" in November 2025, with five "asks":

• A national target for community ownership, i.e. 10% of Scotland being in such ownership by the end of the next Parliament.
• Modernised Community Right to Buy legislation, implementing the recommendations of the 2025/26 review.
• A Scottish Community Wealth Fund, seeded by new benefit payments from renewables, storage, and transmission developments
• A stronger Scottish Land Fund, with a £25 million commitment by the end of Parliament, including a ringfenced allocation for land acquisition.
• A national Community Led Housing (CLH) Fund, reconfiguring existing funds and a £55 million budget to be spent by the end of the Parliament.

The Scottish Outdoor Recreation Alliance — a coalition of the main outdoor recreation organisations, including Mountaineering Scotland, Ramblers Scotland and ScotWays — issued a manifesto asking for:

• A single Scottish Paths Fund of £50 million for the period 2026-2031
• Working with the UK Government to ensure that core paths are shown on OS maps
• New guidance to access authorities on how to fulfil their legal role
• An expanded access role for NatureScot
• An Outdoor Access for All initiative to help the most disadvantaged groups enjoy the benefits and joy of outdoor recreation.

In its "Take Nature Seriously" blogs, the Scottish Wildlife Trust "Primary Ask" is that "all the parties … reframe their approach to nature and view it as a solution to delivering against their other top priorities, as opposed to another problem to overcome". It wants to "get the Agricultural Reform Programme back on track to deliver the Government's own vision for Scotland 'to become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture' [and to] ensure that meaningful investment in nature friendly farming is placed firmly at the centre of that effort".

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