Land management order
Land management orders (LMOs) compel land managers to do work to conserve, restore or enhance a site’s protected natural features.
Scottish Ministers may make LMOs for:
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) – under the provisions of Chapter 3 of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004
- European sites – under Regulations 19 and 21 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994
Using land management orders
Scottish Ministers may make an LMO following a proposal from NatureScot – but only after we’ve offered the relevant land manager a management agreement. The land manager must have refused or failed to enter the agreement or failed to carry out the agreed work. The land manager may appeal to the Scottish Land Court.
Where a land manager carries out management under an LMO, NatureScot will pay the land manager the value of the management agreement previously offered.
If we must carry out the work instead, we may recover from the land manager any costs over and above the value of the management agreement.
LMOs may be used to let NatureScot carry out conservation work on SSSI and European sites where:
- either the land is unoccupied
- or all reasonable efforts have failed to identify and make contact with the landowner
Land management orders in force
There are currently no LMOs in force (as at October 2017).
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