Isle of Man – Land Management Framework and Carbon Sequestration Plan
Summary
Land on the Isle of Man is limited, but plays a vital role in supporting many different needs including food production, nature, water, energy, homes and the economy. At the same time, pressures on land are increasing with climate change, biodiversity loss, population growth and infrastructure demands. There is a need for a co-ordinated approach to make better use of limited land, avoid conflicting or short-term decisions, support long-term resilience and prevent further land degradation and biodiversity loss. The Isle of Man Land Management Framework has been developed to deliver just that.
Client
Department of Environment Food and Agriculture, Isle of Man GovernmentSector
Sustainable Economies
Brief
Following an open procurement exercise, the Isle of Man Government chose Cumulus Consultants, with its strong track record in natural capital and land use, to develop a Land Management Framework and Carbon Sequestration Plan for the Island to 2050 and beyond. Cumulus partnered with Tautenay, Environment Systems, Beyond Zero and AECOM to provide a highly knowledgeable and experienced team to work alongside dedicated Department of Environment Food and Agriculture colleagues to deliver the project. The work took place over a two-year period 2024-2026.
Challenge
The main challenge was the intrinsic complexity of working through multiple land needs and priorities across different sectors on the Island, and exploring multi-functional land use opportunities, synergies and trade-offs, and a balanced approach. Other challenges included: developing a Land Management Framework and Carbon Sequestration Plan relevant to the needs of the Isle of Man in the context of other different frameworks evolving around the UK; and the Land Management Framework being a novel concept to many stakeholders and understandable uncertainties around its structure, role and linkage to existing strategies, plans and schemes.
Outcome
Scoping brought together existing land-related strategies, plans, targets and decision-making processes. Stakeholder engagement feedback confirmed strong agreement on the importance of protecting what matters most (e.g. most productive agricultural land, priority/vulnerable habitats), recognised the changes needed to meet climate and nature goals, and the importance of well-evidenced decisions, fairness and local knowledge. Testing on site helped us refine the draft framework and related guidance and resources. Land Management Framework outputs included: a new Island-wide habitat map; ecosystem service baseline and opportunity maps (ecological, carbon and agricultural production); shared land use priorities and needs; guiding principles for land decision-making; an online GIS-based Spatial Guidance Tool; and user guidance. Alongside this, the Carbon Sequestration Plan and the Land Use & Ecosystem Services Report set out the long-term perspective including evidence, scenario analysis, balanced pathways to 2050 and actions for consideration.
In summary, the Land Management Framework is about making better, more joined-up decisions about how land is used and managed on the Isle of Man. By taking a land-led, evidence-based and practical approach, it will help balance competing demands, identify opportunities for multiple benefits, and support a more resilient and sustainable future for the Island.
“This work has provided a strong evidence base, bringing together local knowledge and stakeholder insight to give us a clearer way to balance the different pressures on land. It will play an important role in helping to coordinate how we meet our net zero targets, alongside wider priorities for food production, nature and the economy, and support more informed long-term decision-making.
The Cumulus team and their partners have brought valuable expertise across land management, farming and the natural capital sector, strengthening both the quality of the analysis and its practical relevance to the Isle of Man. The breadth of engagement throughout the project has also helped to build a shared understanding of the challenges and trade-offs, ensuring the approach is well grounded in the Island’s context.”
Related Projects
- Isle of Man Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture