3.1 Introduction

Because the character of the British countryside is essentially determined by the way in which its land and other resources are used, we need to consider the institutional arrangements that govern land management and decision-making. This chapter applies principles from Chapter 2 to examine the institutional arrangements for the ownership and occupation of land and the incentives for the management of the countryside. In later chapters we evaluate the more specific governance issues.

Most of the decisions that directly affect the rural environment are taken by the person or organisation that owns the land. Thus, the way in which the land is controlled and the interests of the landholder are critical to the way in which the countryside is used and developed. In this chapter we first look at the ways in which land is controlled and the rights associated with ownership. We then consider the incentives that private owners have to influence environmental quality. However, in many circumstances, land is held and used under alternative property regimes. Sometimes there is no single ‘owner’ and the land may be held and used by the state, by groups of individuals or by non-profit organisations, or the use of the land is shared between a landlord and tenant.