Sustainable development in Scotland : The role of Scottish Natural Heritage

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) was established in 1991 largely as a result of a merger between the Nature Conservancy Council for Scotland (NCCS) and the Countryside Commission for Scotland (CCS). However, SNH differs from its predecessors in an important respect. For the first time in UK history, an agency has been given a mandate which includes the promotion of sustainable development. The purpose of this article is to assess the extent to which SNH is in a position to secure sustainable development in the day-to-day exercise of its functions.