The Push-Me-Pull-You of Forest Devolution in Scotland

Bill Ritchie and Mandy Haggith
Paper presented at the Decentralization, Federal Systems in Forestry and National Forest Programs – Interlaken Workshop, Switzerland
27^th to 30^th April 2004

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The ‘push down’ of power through the process of devolution and decentralisation and the ‘pull down’ of power through action on the ground is reaching an exciting stage in Scotland, especially in relation to the national forest estate. This is happening within a political context of devolution in the United Kingdom, with the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 and control of Scotland’s forest estate passing to the Scottish Executive (government in Scotland).

This paper outlines both the political ‘push down’ and the people’s ‘pull down’ of power and tells the story of the people’s movement to get access to land and natural resources, including forest resources. This movement has led to a Land Reform Act giving communities the right to acquire ownership of land, including woodlands, and to the establishment of over 100 community woodland organisations. It has strongly influenced cultural and organisational changes within the national forest and rural development institutions. The paper shows how local (sometimes radical) efforts to pull down power can shape the decentralisation process at the national level.

The Governments of Indonesia and Switzerland organised and co-hosted the Interlaken Workshop in support of the United Nations Forum on Forests.

Technical support was provided by the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and Intercooperation (Switzerland)

For further information the authors can be contacted at: Worldforests, 95 Achmelvich, Lochinver, Sutherland, Scotland IV27 4JB. E-mail: bill@worldforests.org