Land use partnerships for addressing climate change: what are they, why use them and how do they work?

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving climate change adaptation objectives in the land sector will rely on effective collaboration bridging scales and sectors. Many approaches to ‘partnership’ working have been developed in the sector, working at different scales and focussed on a range of issues.

Scotland has committed to the development of Regional Land Use Partnerships (RLUPs) to help deliver a more integrated approach to land use change and management, and meet its target of net zero by 2045. Stakeholders have different expectations about what RLUPs can deliver and how they might function. Success will rely in part on there being a clear vision for how they work. This brief explores how existing land use partnerships work and the learning they provide for how RLUPs might be designed to meet their multiple objectives.