The Common Ground Forum on Sustainable Upland Deer Management
The Common Ground Forum (CGF) is a cross-section of individuals and organisations connected to upland deer management in Scotland. It currently comprises 150 people and over 45 organisations, including private landowners and managers, deer stalkers, the Scottish Government and statutory agencies, environmental NGOs, the agricultural sector, foresters, and community trusts.
They are all committed to working in the spirit of Our Common Ground Accord.
Why are we here?
The purpose of the Common Ground Forum is to build trust and relationships between the various groups with a stake in Scotland’s upland deer management sector including open hill, woodland and commercial forestry to enable them to collaborate and work constructively together to identify, address and ultimately overcome the diverse challenges the sector faces.
The CGF’s work sometimes extends beyond upland Scotland when it helps its core purpose, and is open to approaches from organizations from other areas or sectors if they wish to learn from our work.
What do we hope to achieve?
The various stakeholders within the deer management sector are able to navigate difficult conversations and conflicting views working constructively together without external support.
What are the principles of the Forum’s approach?
- The CGF understands that trust and good relations are like oil in a machine – they keep the parts moving to allow people to work better together to find solutions collaboratively
- The CGF recognises that some conflict is inevitable but that disagreements can inform fairer, more positive and more resilient outcomes when managed well
- The CGF does not represent or favour any views or opinions. It is a neutral space for dialogue and facilitation
- The CGF values and respects all voices
- The CGF approach is context specific and will not be appropriate for every scenario
Invitation to join
Individuals are welcome to join the Common Ground Forum if they have a connection with the upland deer management sector in Scotland and they are committed to work in the spirit of the Our Common Ground Accord, which demonstrates the shared principles and setting standards for respectful behaviour across the upland deer management sector.
To join the Common Ground Forum, contact: info@thecommongroundforum.scot.