It's a beautiful, inhospitable and remote part of the British Isles. You might wonder who would choose to live here, and the answer is few people do. Ulva's human community is dying. In the mid-19th century it was home to 600 people. Today, just six remain. [...]
For Rebecca, and for community activists on Mull, this is an opportunity. New legislation introduced by Scotland's pro-independence Scottish National Party gives community groups an initial chance to buy land before it is put up for sale on the open market. So Rebecca and her friends have several months to raise about US$6m required to buy Ulva.
They're likely to get substantial support from the Scottish Land Fund, which gives money in support of community buy-outs. If they are not successful, they fear a "devastating alternative"; that Ulva could be bought by a wealthy absentee landlord, essentially as a private pleasure island. [...]
Today, some 430 individuals own half of all private land in Scotland, and the question of land ownership remains very emotive. The SNP would like to broaden the ownership.
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