How is an upland landscape used, why do land uses conflict, and how are the conflicts managed?
Land uses in glaciated upland, coastal, river and limestone landscapes - farming, forestry, industry, recreation and tourism, water storage and renewable energy - and the conflicts that arise between them and the solutions adopted to manage them.
An SQA National 5 Geography answer on land use and management, covering the land uses found in glaciated upland, coastal, river and limestone landscapes, the conflicts that arise between users, and the solutions used to manage them, with a National Park example.
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to describe how upland and coastal landscapes are used (farming, forestry, industry, recreation and tourism, water storage and renewable energy), explain why these uses come into conflict with each other, and describe the solutions used to manage the conflicts. You should be able to refer to a named area, such as a National Park.
How upland and coastal landscapes are used
The same features that make a landscape dramatic also decide how it can be used.
Why land uses conflict
Different users want the same land for different, incompatible things:
- Tourists vs residents and farmers - cars on narrow roads cause congestion and dangerous parking; visitors block farm access, drop litter and leave gates open so livestock escape.
- Walkers vs farmers - footpath erosion, trampled crops and dogs worrying sheep damage the farmer's livelihood.
- Developers vs local communities - holiday and second homes push up house prices so local young people are priced out; new caravan parks and roads spoil the scenery.
- Quarrying and forestry vs conservation and tourism - quarries and clear-felled forest scar the landscape and create noise, dust and lorry traffic, harming the very scenery tourists value.
Solutions: managing the conflicts
Authorities, often a National Park, manage the landscape so different uses can co-exist:
- Traffic - build car parks and park-and-ride schemes, improve buses and trains, and create cycle routes to cut car use.
- Footpaths and farmland - lay durable stone paths, fence off eroded ground to recover, and promote the Countryside Code (close gates, keep dogs on leads, take litter home).
- Housing - restrict the number of second homes and require new building to suit the area, with affordable housing for locals.
- Quarrying and forestry - screen quarries with trees and landscape them after use, control blasting times, and replant felled forest.
- Visitor pressure - spread visitors away from "honeypot" sites and provide information centres.
Examples in context
Example 1. Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Heavy summer tourism causes congestion and pressure on lochside paths, managed with car parks, ranger services, camping byelaws and visitor centres so farming, conservation and recreation can share the area.
Example 2. The Lake District. Honeypot villages such as Bowness face traffic and parking problems, and fells suffer footpath erosion; solutions include park-and-ride, "fix the fells" path repair and second-home controls.
Try this
Q1. State one land use that conflicts with tourism in an upland area. [1 mark]
- Cue. Hill farming, quarrying or forestry (any one, with the clash explained).
Q2. Name one solution to traffic congestion at a honeypot site. [1 mark]
- Cue. Park-and-ride (or building car parks and improving public transport).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA N5 style6 marksFor a glaciated upland or coastal landscape you have studied, explain the conflicts that can arise between different land uses, and describe solutions used to deal with them.Show worked answer →
A 6-mark answer wants conflicts explained and solutions described, so split your marks: roughly three on conflicts (with reasons) and three on solutions.
Conflict 1. Tourists driving to honeypot sites cause traffic jams and parking on narrow roads, which frustrates local residents and farmers trying to move animals and machinery.
Conflict 2. Walkers crossing farmland can leave gates open, let dogs disturb sheep and erode footpaths, damaging the farmer's land and livelihood.
Conflict 3. New holiday homes push up house prices so local young people cannot afford to live in the area, and quarrying for rock scars the scenery that tourists come to see.
Solutions. Build car parks and park-and-ride schemes and improve public transport to ease traffic; lay stone paths and use the Countryside Code and signs to protect farmland; restrict second-home building and screen or landscape quarries.
Markers reward each conflict explained with who is affected and why, and each solution clearly matched to a problem. A named area such as the Lake District or Loch Lomond strengthens the answer.
SQA N5 style4 marksDescribe the different ways an upland glaciated landscape can be used.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark Describe answer rewards four distinct land uses, each developed with how the landscape suits it.
Hill sheep farming uses the steep, poor pasture that is no good for crops, because hardy sheep can graze the rough grass.
Forestry uses the thin, acidic soils and steep slopes to grow conifers, which are then felled for timber.
Tourism and recreation use the dramatic scenery, lochs and peaks for walking, climbing, water sports and sightseeing.
Water storage uses the deep glacial valleys and high rainfall: valleys are dammed to make reservoirs that supply cities, and fast upland rivers can drive hydro-electric power.
Markers reward each clearly different land use linked to a feature of the landscape, not just a list of words.
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Sources & how we know this
- National 5 Geography Course Specification (C833 75) — SQA (2025)
- National 5 Geography - Course overview and resources — SQA (2025)