Forests and woodlands cover 17 % of Scotland's land mass - some 1,340,000 hectares - they are a key resource contributing some £760 million per year to Scotland's economy and directly or indirectly supporting in the order of 40,000 jobs. The majority of these jobs being in areas of low employment and in the ever-growing, innovative and profit generating processing sector as well as the timber-frame construction and the woodfuel industries.

The SDA support the Scottish government's intention to increase the land mass utilisation to 25 % by the turn of the century and encourage the growth of a diverse and profitable forestry sector incorporating competitive and innovative businesses - contributing to both economic and employment growth.

Against the outstanding beauty of Scotland's forests and woodlands - eco-tourism - such as bird, beaver and otter spotting  - is worth some £200 million per year to our economy and still has significant growth potential.

With a network of some 1200 kilometres of purpose-built mountain bike trails the Forestry Commission Scotland is earning Scotland a world class reputation within the sport - drawing in mountain bike riders from around the world.

The social development opportunities are gaining recognition, with visiters to forests and woodlands experiencing a positive effect on their physical and mental health and well-being. A beneficial effect, which carries over into their personal and work lives long after they have left the forests and woodlands.

The forestry industry is also contributing to tackling the global climate change issue by extensive new plantings of forests and woodlands to assist with the sequestration of carbon within the growing timber. The new economic activity of woodland-based carbon offsets is a fresh development related to carbon trading.

Timber production is a vital contributor to our economy and by 2008 Scotland was producing over six million cubic metres with considerable scope for expansion. Timber processing and wood using companies are buoyant and expanding, increasing home productivity and employment opportunities.

In recent years we have also seen a growing number of biomass energy projects fuelled by waste wood products being successfully completed across Scotland.

     Scotland is an energy rich country which suffers from fuel poverty, high energy costs and has over 250,000 of our children living in poverty, many in cold damp houses.  Our energy policy is controlled by the UK government with only minimal control devolved to the Scottish government.

The Scottish Democratic Alliance advocates that Scottish energy policy should be wholly under the control of the Scottish government.

Scotland is self-sufficient in energy with abundant reserves of established energy assets including hydroelectric, nuclear, coal, oil and gas plus we are developing alternative energy resources utilising wind, wave and tidal stream power, clean coal technologies, carbon capture and storage and alternative liquid fuels.

Scotland still possesses at least 30 years of oil and gas reserves. The SDA advocates that we reduce the 75% oil tax grab and work with the oil industry in order to develop a balanced tax policy which will encourage sustainable development.

The SDA supports the use of renewable sources of energy and encourages expansion in this field. We are opposed to environmentally damaging developments such as large wind-power schemes in scenically sensitive areas.

Attachments:

File	Description
Energy Policy
Energy - Executive Summary

Read the SDA Fisheries Policy.

Attachments:

File	Description
Fishing Policy

The SDA believe that an efficient, integrated, modern transportation network is key to the economic success of any country and especially vital to Scotland's future prospects as it seeks to make its way in the 21st century.

For decades, an inexcusable lack of investment by successive UK governments combined with the application of punitive taxes on fuel, have resulted in exceedingly poor economic performance and the disappearance of many of our industries which relied on the distribution of its goods and services to compete on the world stage.

The SDA will ensure that every aspect of transportation be it road, rail, sea or air will receive the necessary investment it requires to meet the needs and aspirations of a growing and thriving economy for, without such investment, no such progress can be made.

A key component will be the establishment of a nationwide fibre optic based telecommunications network linking all of our communities - large and small.

The SDA propose, along with changes in taxation, a thorough shake up of a moribund system, to make Scotland's infrastructure the envy of the modern world. Radical changes of ownership of key components of the infrastucture will allow Scotland's government to achieve a level of integration of all networks to ensure seamless movement of peoples, goods and services, throughout our land.

Attachments:

File	Description
Transport - Executive Summary