CLA praises 50-year-plan to revolutionise UK land use

The CLA has praised a new report which takes a strategic look at the future of UK land use over the next 50 years.

The rural economy experts said the Land Use Futures report by Foresight, part of the Government Office for Science, strengthened the need for the Government to address the most important challenges and opportunities for land use.

CLA President William Worsley said: "I am delighted that such an informed study has recognised the vital contribution that rural land managers make to the public’s well-being.

"Rural land managers play a hugely important role in growing the food we eat but there is so much more they can offer. They should be encouraged to provide a whole range of public benefits, such as creating habitats for wildlife and mitigating the effects of climate change. The report acknowledges this and the need for proper incentives and reward systems for land managers to continue to do so."

He added: "Land Use Futures makes clear that many of these issues have to be looked at in the long term, which is why so much of what the report says ties in with many CLA members’ multi-generational approach to land."