Current projects

CLAN Knowledge Exchange Strategy

Dr Bobby Macaulay - Principal Investigator

Started January 2023 

The Community Landownership Academic Network (CLAN) brings together researchers, policymakers and community organisations to strategically plan and coordinate research in the area of community landownership. One of CLAN’s core tenets is the commitment to conduct useful, relevant and impactful research driven by communities themselves. This project, funded by the Scottish Funding Council’s University Innovation Fund, seeks to understand community organisations’ experiences of engaging in research, and how they would seek to improve it for their benefit. In collaboration with representative body, Community Land Scotland, this project will undertake an online survey, stakeholder interviews and collaborative workshops to develop a community-led research agenda and ethical engagement protocol.

On June 16 and 17 2026 there will be the first in person conference of the Community Landownership Academic Network. For more information see CLAN Gathering 2026 Tickets, Tuesday, Jun 16 at 10 am to Wednesday, Jun 17 at 5 pm | Eventbrite

FORADVISE, Horizon Europe

Professor Anna Lawrence

Foradvise will establish a European network of forest advisory organisations, actors, and networks. The 5-year project started on January 1, 2025, and is coordinated by the European Forest Institute (EFI). The FORADVISE consortium brings together the key players in forest advisory services across Europe. The Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR) supports the exchange with actors from the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR), particularly with the Strategic Working Group on Forest Research.

The goal of FORADVISE is to support the modernisation of the forestry sector and contribute to the achievement of EU and national policy targets. The project aims to accelerate knowledge exchange, enhance the competencies of forest advisors beyond traditional areas of advice, and develop pathways for a future Forest Knowledge and Innovation System (FOKIS) in Europe. The ultimate goal is to promote resilient, multifunctional, and productive forests in Europe.

To achieve this, FORADVISE will create a pan-European forest advisory network and initiate a knowledge-sharing process between European actors. Additionally, knowledge transfer pilots will be implemented to adapt advisory practices to new contexts. Training modules will be developed to contextualise proven approaches and materials. A Cost-Benefit-Analysis toolkit will be created to enhance advisors’ capacity to assess the social and economic impacts of forestry actions. The insights gained will form the basis for the systematic engagement of policymakers to create actionable and desirable pathways for the development of forest advisory systems in Europe and integrate forest advisors into the AKIS (Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems) of the member states.

Project activities will be supported by targeted communication measures. Over the course of the project, a smooth transition to a self-sustaining network will be prepared. A dedicated task will identify working modalities and business models for the long-term continuation of the network.

Project partners are:

• European Forest Institute (FI)
• Forestry Commission Research Agency (UK)
• Teagasc - Agriculture and Food Development Authority (IE)
• Skogsstyrelsen (SE)
• Suomen metsäkeskus - Finlands skogscentral (FI)
• Viešoji įstaiga Lietuvos žemės ūkio konsultavimo tarnyba (LT)
• Centre de la Propietat Forestal (ES)
• Centre National de la Propriété Forestière (FR)
• Landesbetrieb Wald und Holz Nordrhein-Westfalen  (DE)
• Latvijas Lauku konsultāciju un izglītības centrs (LV)
• Skogkurs (NO)
• 2BForest Lda. (PT)
• Basilicon Szolgáltató és Tanácsadó Korlátolt Felelősségű Társaság (HU)
• Luonnonvarakeskus (FI)
• Geoponiko Panepistimion Athinon (EL)
• Universität für Bodenkultur Wien (AT)
• Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze (CZ)
• Uniwersytet Przyrodniczy w Poznaniu (PL)
• Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet (SE)
• Itä-Suomen yliopisto (FI)
• Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (ES)
• Národné lesnícke centrum (SK)
• Perth College (UK)
• Moragues And Scade Abogados S.a. (ES)
• Centar kompetencija d.o.o. za istraživanje i razvoj (HR)
• Universidade de Aveiro (PT)
• Badawcza Łukasiewicz - Poznański Instytut Technologiczny (PL)
• Fundación Centro de Servicios y promoción Forestal y de su Industria de Castilla y León (ES)
• Institut Européen de la Forêt Cultivée (FR)
• South East Technological University (IE)
• Union de Selvicultores del sur de Europa - AEIE (ES)
• Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V. (DE)
• Landeskammer für Land- und Forstwirtschaft in Steiermark (AT)
• Agroecology Innovation Advisory SL (ES)

Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review led by SRUC

Dr Bobby Macaulay, Catriona Mallows

SRUC is leading a review of three core elements of the Scottish Government’s existing funding and support: Community Led Local Development (CLLD), Scottish Rural Action (SRA), and the Scottish Rural Network (SRN). CMS is a partner in this research.

The work will propose options and recommendations for future community support which will inform the delivery of the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024. Supported by the University of the Highlands and Islands (Perth) and Ipsos Scotland, the SRUC-led research team will be consulting widely across rural Scotland. They are keen to hear from people living and working in rural communities, including those who are familiar with CLLD, SRA and SRN, as well as those who are not.

The team will be drawing on the experience of Science Ceilidh and Impact Hub Inverness to ensure their approach is community-based, equitable and inclusive, with an emphasis on making sure everyone who wants to is able to contribute.

Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, said:

“This is another meaningful step forward in implementing a new rural support system in Scotland. This strong team of research partners, led by Scotland’s Rural College, will generate fresh insights, and create opportunities to get involved in the project in different ways.

“This work will directly inform the shape of the future rural support system as we implement the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024 and I look forward to seeing the results.”

Visit the Rural exchange website to find out more and get involved

Peatlands and Windfarms Knowledge Transfer partnership (KTP) - (March 2025 – March 2027)

Mike Daniels

Mike is one of three UHI supervisors for this project which aims to advance sustainable peatland management in renewable energy. This project will develop innovative techniques for peatland restoration and protection across RWE’s onshore wind farms. Using full lifecycle case studies, it will test new methods for peat re-use and create guidelines for balancing renewable energy development with climate and biodiversity goals.

Capercaillie Reinforcement Feasibility Study

Mike Daniels, Rosalind Bryce

Funded by the Cairngorm National Park Authority and in partnership with the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), this study is a Phase 1 scoping exercise to outline population reinforcement option with stakeholders if the positive influences of the management actions outlined in the Capercaillie Emergency Plan are found to be insufficient to reverse population declines.

Biodiversity and community owned land in Scotland – an analysis (October 2024 – March 2025)

Mike Daniels, Catriona Mallows, Bobby Macaulay and Rosalind Bryce

Funded by the Scottish Funding Council Innovation Voucher, this project was a partnership with Community Land Scotland to look at the intersection between community owned land and biodiversity benefits, using public datasets. The information obtained was aimed at helping inform the land reform debate and legislation with respect to public objectives for biodiversity.

Biodiversity and community owned land in Scotland - an analysis

Community Land in Europe - Leverhulme Research Leadership Award

Dr Bobby Macaulay

April 2026 - March 2031

The way land is owned, used and managed has direct implications for the sustainable development of local communities. In Scotland, over the past twenty-five years, a series of reforms have encouraged community organisations to purchase and manage land through a local democratic structure. Today, over 250,000 hectares of land is under community ownership, with evidence starting to emerge of its impacts on sustainable rural development.

But how does this compare to other countries and contexts? This project will consider community ownership land across Europe. In contrast to the relatively well researched concepts of the commons and tribal or customary rights to land, legal ownership of private land assets (which is most prevalent in Europe) has received very little attention. Through adopting a combination of Ostrom’s Common Pool Resources Theory and the concept of Social Innovation, this research will develop a conceptual, comparative and evaluative approach to understanding the range and impacts of community land across the European continent, and its implications for sustainable rural development.

Media - News - UHI researcher awarded prestigious Leverhulme Trust Research Leadership Award

Mountain Heritage and Governance for Climate Resilient Communities (Montage) May 2026 - April 2027

Working across Wester Ross Biosphere in northwest Scotland, Nordhordland in Norway, and Kangchenjunga Conservation Area in Nepal, Montage brings together a new network of academics and practitioners to explore how transitions in mountains are reshaping the cultural connections between people and they land on which they live and work. 

We will be exploring the following questions:
•    How can the recognition, communication and preservation of place-based cultural heritage contribute to community resilience in changing mountain socio-ecological systems?
•    How can governance structures such as UNESCO Biosphere Reserves enable the integration of cultural heritage with climate change action at local, regional and global scales?)

Project start date: May 2026

We are grateful to UKRI for funding the project
 
Partners: UHI Perth, University of Bergen, Wester Ross Biosphere Reserve,, Nordhordland Biosphere, Samriddha Pahad, UNESCO Kathmandu

Understanding Changes in Demand for Large-scale Community Land Acquisitions in Scotland January 2026-March 2026

Using a mixed methods approach, this fellowship has examined changes in perceived demand for large-scale community land acquisition since 2001, investigating the reasons for this over time and geography, barriers preventing communities from pursuing acquisitions, and identifying solutions that could be made to support systems and funding routes.

Partners: UHI Perth, University of Edinburgh

We are grateful to SEFARI Gateway, commissioned by the Scottish Land Commission with a Steering Group in place.

South Assynt Collaboration Project: Baseline Socio-Economic Study December 2025-June 2026

The South Assynt Collaboration Project is a new collaboration between the Assynt Foundation (AF) and Woodland Trust Scotland (WTS), covering over 18,000 hectares of community owned land to generate benefits for nature and the surrounding communities. As part of this, we are conducting a socio-economic baseline of the area and community needs and aspirations, allowing AF and WTS to measure the long-term impact of the South Assynt Collaboration Project.

We are grateful to The Woodland Trust for funding this work