Society’s valuation of the rural environment has turned from food to fun, according to a leading land use specialist, with major global changes in demographics, food supplies, energy security and environment signalling even greater changes for the Highlands and Islands. Dr Richard Birnie, head of communications and outreach at Aberdeen’s The Macaulay Institute, will expand on this theme when he addresses the next in the series of sustainable development seminars at UHI Millennium Institute.

The lunchtime seminar will be held on Friday, 30th March, at the UHI executive office in Ness Walk, Inverness.

Dr Birnie said: “The way in which our society values the rural environment has changed over the past 50 years from an agenda of food to an agenda of fun. However, we have not simply replaced one agenda with another. What is happening is that we now have multiple, competing agendas which are being played out over the Highlands and Islands to a greater or less extent depending on their “attractiveness” to what have been described as the “lifestyle tribes”, and various other interest groups.

“In-migration choices are largely driven by accessibility and availability of services. This appears to have created two classes of rural area: those high amenity areas, which are experiencing significant in-migration and population growth, with buoyant service industry economies, and those more remote areas which are still experiencing out-migration and are still highly dependent on primary industries. These differences have to be recognised and managed.”

The lecture will cover society’s expectations from the land; how these have changed over the past 50 years; what this has meant for rural land use in Scotland, and what might happen in the Highlands and Islands over the next 20 years.

Dr Birnie explained: “There is a great deal of controversy and conflict surrounding management of the Scottish countryside in general, and in the Highlands and Islands in particular. This is exemplified by the current debates surrounding wind energy developments and the new marine national park proposals.

“Whilst these kinds of debate are not new, I believe they have taken on a new complexity. With the rise of environmental interests, the debates have moved away from jobs versus environment to ones where there is contest amongst the environmental interests – environment-versus-environment or “green-on-green” debates

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“A fundamental question is: what will the anticipated major global changes in demographics, food supplies, energy security or environment mean for land use in the Highlands and Islands over the next 25 years? Will they become the new engine room for a sustainable UK energy economy, a key element in our future food security policy, or simply a playground?

This will be the seventh seminar in a series aiming to raise awareness of the main sustainable development issues for the area, and how local organisations intend to respond.

The seminars are funded by HIE and organised by four partners in UHI Millennium Institute – the Inverness-based UHI PolicyWeb, which researches policy issues affecting rural and island regions; the Centre for Mountain Studies at Perth College UHI; Lews Castle College UHI on the Isle of Lewis, and the Sustainable Development Research Centre in Forres.

Anyone wishing to attend this seminar should contact Anne Edwards, UHI Policy Web, on 01463 273563 or anne.edwards@inverness.uhi.ac.uk

ENDS

The seminar is open to the media. For registration please contact Anne Edwards on 01463 273563 or anne.edwards@inverness.uhi.ac.uk

UHI Millennium Institute (UHI) is a higher education institution comprising thirteen partner colleges and research institutions, two associated institutions and a network of over fifty outreach learning centres, located throughout the Highlands and Islands of Scotland (including Moray and Perthshire).

Currently over 6500 students are studying on undergraduate and postgraduate courses or undertaking postgraduate research with UHI.

The UHI partner institutions are working together to achieve university status, as the University of the Highlands and Islands.

The Macaulay Institute is the premier land use research institute in the UK. Two hundred and seventy staff are based at the Macaulay Institute at Craigiebuckler in Aberdeen. The Macaulay Institute aims to be an international leader in research on the use of rural land resources for the benefit of people and the environment and is involved in research across the globe; from Scotland to Chile and China.

For further information please contact: Kelly Cromar Tricker PR Office: 01224 646491 Mobile: 07795 522 01O Email: kcromar@trickerpr.com

Dr Richard Birnie Head of Communications and Outreach The Macaulay Institute Office: 01224 498200, ext 2234 Email: r.birnie@macaulay.ac.uk

Archie Prentice HIE sustainable development and environment manager Office: 01463 244254 Email: archie.prentice@hient.co.uk