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"Understanding the property rights regimes that govern resource management in uplands is key to developing environmental policy that supports sustainable rural livelihoods and encourages the delivery of important ecosystem services in the face of change. The UK uplands are important for the range of ecosystem services they provide, from biodiversity, recreation and carbon storage, to the provision of food, fibre and water, as well as flood prevention. Upland environments are subject to a complicated system of property rights regimes. While land might be in private ownership, rights of withdrawal, access and management of different resources on that land may be afforded to different stakeholders. In many areas this can result in private property regimes, common property regimes and state control overlapping as they seek to manage resources in the same landscape for different objectives, sometimes leading to conflict between the different rights holders. At the same time climate change, economic development and changes to agricultural and other policy drivers means that the relative importance of different ecosystems services is changing along with the balance of power between different stakeholders.
"This research explores the property regimes in three upland areas: the Peak District National Park, the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the uplands of Dumphries and Galloway. Using data from a range of qualitative and quantitative interviews and participant observation this paper examines the extent to which the current property regimes lead to conflict, influence decisions about land management for different ecosystem services, and act as a barrier to sustainable management. Recommendations are made for national policy, and the wider implications are explored for future environmental policy development under complex tenure regimes." |
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