A brand new and innovative approach to getting the best from Scotland's land was proposed today.

Richard Lochhead launched a consultation on a strategy which sets out, for the first time, a high-level, long-term agenda for sustainable land use across Scotland.

The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment said this was the first time that land use across Scotland has been considered in this way - setting down in one place our thinking on how we manage our valuable resources so as to maximise the benefits on an ongoing basis.

The consultation proposes three strategic objectives: Successful land-based businesses contributing to Scotland's prosperity and wellbeing; Flourishing natural environments delivering the widest range of benefits to Scotland, and playing their part in mitigating global climate change, and Vibrant, sustainable communities in urban and rural areas, with people connected to the land, enjoying it and taking an interest in its future.

The Scottish Government launched its pioneering integrated approach two years ago with the Rural Land Use Study, and is committed to this vital dialogue with everyone interested in urban and rural land.

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Stressing the benefits of a strategic approach, Mr Lochhead said: "Scotland's land provides us with a wealth of natural resources. It is perhaps our most valuable asset. Our land is the mainstay of many businesses, it supports our communities and it provides one of the world's most celebrated and important natural environments.

"There has always been a multitude of pressures on land use - you only have to ask any farmer or land manager about the day-to-day decisions they make to get an insight. Our natural environment may be bountiful and beautiful, but it's also fragile and demanding. And the big issues of the 21st century such as food, water and energy security can all be addressed by integrated land use.

"This Land Use Strategy will be an important tool for decision-makers, whether communities, businesses, interest groups or individual land managers. It will highlight opportunities and threats as we move to a low-carbon society, and help us work out how to make appropriate trade-offs when required. And it will support our goals on food security, biodiversity and tree-planting, and show how rural and urban Scotland depend on each other."

Vicki Swales, Convenor of the Scottish Environment LINK Taskforce following the progress of the Strategy, welcomed the consultation.

She said: "Both the Climate Change Act and the Land Use Strategy have major implications for how we use our limited land resources, now and into the future. Scottish Ministers were right to herald both of these as ground-breaking; all eyes are now on Ministers to make sure the Act and Strategy live up to expectations.

"Putting all the pieces of the land use jigsaw together will be complicated but the benefits of getting it right are huge. Land provides us with so much - not just food and timber but clean water, wildlife and places to live and enjoy - but we need to make some critical decisions about the future. We need to maximise the benefits from land, and avoid conflicts and ensure we manage this limited resource sustainably."

(GK/KMcA)