Land ownership for bird habitat conservation

[David McDonald <>]

This is cross-posted from a list concerned with Scottish heritage. You
may care to note the 15th largest landholder in Scotland.
David
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Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2000 23:27:02 +0100
   From: Judy Strachan <>
Subject: Re: Land ownership in Scotland
Hello everyone
Someone was talking not long ago of the ?abominal situation? regarding
ownership of land in
Scotland. This is a very complex and political question but perhaps
the following, which I
found in a recent book (The Isles A History by Norman Davies) may be
of interest to the list.

THE TOP TWENTY LANDOWNERS IN SCOTLAND
1  Forestry Commission - 1,600,000 acres
2  Duke of Buccleuch/Lord Dalkieth - 270,000 acres (four estates in the Borders)
3  Scottish Office Agricultural Department - 260,000 acres (90% of this is tenanted crofting
land)
4  National Trust for Scotland - 190,000 (includes the 75,000 acre Mar Lodge)
5  Alcan Highland Estates - 135,000 acres (land used for generation of electricity)
6  Duke of Athol and Sarah Troughton - 130,000 acres (estates around Dunkeld and Blair Atholl)
7  Captain Alwyn Farquharson - 125,000 acres (Invercauld on Desside and a smaller estate in
Argyll)
8  Duchess of Westminster, the Lady Mary Grosvenor - 120,000 acres (Grosvenor Sporting Estates
in Sutherland)
9  Earl of Seafield - 105,000 acres (Seafield estates in Speyside)
10  Crown Estate Commission - 100,000 acres (three main estates including Glenlivet)
11  Edmund Vestey and family - 100,00 acres (Assynt and mountain property)
12  South Uist Property company (a syndicate of owners) - 92,000 (a sporting estate with 900
tenanted crofts)
13  Sir Donald Cameron of Lochiel and family - 90,000 acres (sporting and forstry estates
cented on Achnacarry Castle)
14  Countess of Sutherland and Lord Strathnavar - 90,000 (sporting estates in Sutherland)
15  Royal Society for the Protection of Birds - 87,000 acres (52 separate reserves)
16  Paul Van Vlissingen - 87,000 acres (Letterwe wilderness, Wester Ross)
17  Scottish Natural Heritage - 84,400 acres (nature reserves)
18  Robin Fleming and family - 80,000 (Blackmount and Glen Etive)
19  The Honourable Charles Pearson - 77,000 acres (Dunecht)
20  Lord Margadale - 73,000 acres (Islay)