Hutton Researchers Hosting Events In Kyle Of Lochalsh To Discuss Community Land Use And Land Reform
27 February 2026, UK: Social researchers from The James Hutton Institute, Scotland’s pre-eminent interdisciplinary scientific research institute for the sustainable management of land, crop and nature resources, will host workshops in Kyle of Lochalsh on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 March to share and discuss findings from a ‘citizen land science’ project focusing on community connections to the Plock of Kyle – a section of community-owned land at the mainland end of the Skye Bridge.
This project, in partnership with Kyle and Lochalsh Community Trust, has been on-going since June 2025 and these workshops will showcase the results of the citizen science work conducted by local residents over the past few months.
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Researchers will display a digital map of the Plock that community members helped to create, using one of The James Hutton Institute’s cutting-edge touchtable interactive screens. The map has been generated as a direct result of the citizen land science project, where participants mapped, recorded and photographed different land uses related to biodiversity, community activities, history and heritage on the Plock, using a specialised app. This map will encourage further discussion about which areas of the Plock are important for wildlife, community activities, history and heritage, and people’s connections to the land.
The first event will be held at Kyle Primary School on Friday 20 March 2026, where the researchers will display the map on the touchtable and engage with pupils about what it shows and why the Plock is important to them.
The researchers will then hold two workshops at Skye Bridge Studios. One on Friday 20 March 4-6pm with supper provided, and another on Saturday 21March 10am-12pm with refreshments. Community members will be invited to use the touchtable to view and interact with the map and engage in discussions about land use at the Plock.
This is part of the Scotland’s Land Reform Futures project, which is funded by the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS) and aims to both promote the relationships between land and local communities and increase the involvement of local people in planning and decision-making about land in Scotland.
Dr Sam Poskitt, an environmental social scientist at the Hutton, said: “It’s been great that the community has been involved in collecting data about why community land is so important to them. We’re thrilled to be able to take this data back to them for discussion, using Hutton’s cutting-edge visualisation technology.”
“When it comes to land and land reform, it’s essential that we engage with local communities and ensure that their knowledge and experiences of land are taken into account.”
Those wishing to sign up for either of the events in advance should fill out the form linked below, or by contacting Sam Poskitt on either Samuel.poskitt@hutton.ac.uk or (+44) 01224 395170.
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