Life on a small Scottish island is hard, there’s no denying it. Ok, so it’s nowhere near as hard as it was a century ago, before boats had engines and food had waterproof packaging; before generators and high-tech clothing and telecommunications and head torches. The physical hardship of that life fills me with awe.

Now there is a different, less physical struggle: a struggle to remain viable. Up and down this coast, communities are battling against a lack of jobs and affordable housing. Local youngsters can’t afford to stay and other young families can’t afford to come: man cannot live on beautiful landscapes alone! Houses are snapped up by retirees or as second homes for those who don’t need to wrestle an income from this wild place. The school roll dwindles, and the cycle continues.

It can feel like perhaps life in these areas is inherently untenable…but it is not all a dreich, downward spiral. Just as we battle against the elements out here, so we battle against economic trends, and there are some good weapons in the armoury.

There may not be much economic wealth around, but ‘social capital’ – the glue that holds communities together – is strong. An increasing number of communities are using that social capital to address a key issue that has long held them back: ownership of the land on which they live. It is said that ‘land is the foundation on which all other developments sit’, so this seems a good place to start.

By working together to form Community Bodies such as Trusts or Development Companies, small communities have the ‘Right to Buy’ land. The process is complicated and the ‘Financial Means to Buy’ are difficult to come by; less than twenty community land buy-outs have been successful so far…but the results are profound.

A recent review by the Scottish Agricultural College[i] found that Community Land Ownership (CLO) can reverse the unhealthy spiral; engendering private enterprise and investment, and a responsibility towards future generations.

CLO can provide the land to build affordable housing, and a space to develop much-needed jobs. These jobs need to be sustainable – both economically and environmentally. Tourism is a mainstay of many island economies; tourists come for the wildlife and scenery. These same attributes inspire artists, crafts people, writers and musicians, who can sustain a living and contribute to society – celebrating the natural world and revitalising traditions, further enriching social capital.

Much of this valued wildlife and scenery has global environmental importance: breeding sites for birds, carbon storage in peat bogs, marine stocks that sustain species other than Man. Industries that reduce this ‘natural capital’ may generate income in the short term, but at what wider cost?

Another form of natural capital sits at the heart of this economic and environmental sustainability debate: wind and water can generate power and income …but also controversy. Communities must assess whether the potential benefits (reduction in carbon emissions, income generation, potential employment and energy self-sufficiency) out-weight the potential costs (habitat damage and loss of ‘wilderness’).

Life out here on the edge is never going to be easy. But there are many efforts underway to foster resilience and ensure that communities thrive.

This article first appeared as a column in the magazine Scottish Islands Explorer.