Welsh Government urged to help farmers protect natural landscapes

(Photo: Brecon Beacons National Park)
(Photo: Brecon Beacons National Park)

A report on Wales’ future landscapes has been published, urging Welsh Government to help landowners and farmers on issues of biodiversity, access and protection.

A review of Wales’ National Parks and Areas of Outstanding National Beauty (AONBs) has been published by the Future Landscapes Working Group, chaired by Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas.

The Group was established to explore the recommendations of the Marsden Report into the future of Wales’ designated landscapes, which provided 69 recommendations, the range and scope of which were considerable.

The report says designated landscapes should be the leaders of the sustainable management of natural resources in their areas and emphasises the importance of joint-working to achieve this.

It recommends the Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales and all designated landscapes provide assistance and support to other landscape managers across Wales, including landowners, farmers and the wider rural community, on issues such as biodiversity, access and protection, in order for the whole society to benefit fully from landscapes.

The report acknowledges the challenges the UK’s exit from the EU poses, with so much of Wales’ environmental legislation tied into EU laws and the uncertainty over future funding for agriculture, at a time when action is needed to build the resilience of eco-systems.

'Good practice'

The report concludes that 'genuine partnership' is needed to ensure the best outcome for Wales.

Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas said: “From the start the main feature of the working group was partnership, including everyone from national park authorities and areas of outstanding natural beauty, from agricultural and tourism businesses, voluntary organisations and trusts contributing equally to the discussions.

“The basic principle guiding our work is seeing and understanding the role of designated landscapes not as separate excluded areas, but as a distinctive part which could contribute to good practice for the rest of our country’s landscape.”

The Welsh Government will now look at whether legislation needs to be changed to support the recommendations of the report.

This includes looking at whether greater weight should be given to the importance of these areas and their ecosystems in decision making and whether governance arrangements should evolve to reflect local circumstances, rather than the current one-size-fits-all system.