Major parties promise new designations

• 10 new designations of “National Nature Parks” increasing National Parks’ land coverage by 50%. Proposed areas include the Cotswolds, the Chiltern Hills, the North and South Pennines, Coastal Suffolk, Coastal Dorset, Wessex and the Lincolnshire Wolds, the Malvern Hills, extensions to the National Forest and sites for Marine Nature Parks.
• Increased funding for the National Park authorities by 50%, from under £50m each year to almost £75m each year.

• A commitment to create new National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and to take action to ensure our landscapes are enhanced and open to all, following publication of the Glover Review which was commissioned by the Government last year.

• A commitment to invest in large scale restoration of peatlands, heathland and native woodlands to help absorb carbon and to pilot “rewilding” approaches.

Campaign Conference success

This month Campaign for National Parks brought together its member organisations and others to discuss the future of National Parks in a day-long conference at Southwark Cathedral.

Speakers at the conference, including Julian Glover and Richard Clarke of the National Association of AONBs, discussed the lessons to be learnt from the 1930s and 1940s campaigns, from the Marsden review in Wales and reactions to the designated landscapes review to a packed room of over 70 delegates. Click here for more.

Bringing the Glover Panel together

In November Campaign for National Parks had the opportunity to bring authors of the designated landscapes review together for questions from the environmental sector, the only such event thus far since the review was published.
 
Over 70 attendees heard from Julian Glover, Jake Fiennes and Jim Dixon or the ‘three J’s’ of the Glover review at the St Brides Theatre. Important issues such as diversity, upland management and the growth agenda were raised over the afternoon.
 
Find out more by clicking here
 
Campaign for National Parks is leading efforts to give the National Parks a bright future. It will be calling on the new government to take bold steps to bring forward many of the recommendations of the review of designated landscapes and to ensure the momentum for change is maintained.

Extra funding promised for the Welsh National Parks

The Welsh Government has announced a funding boost for Wales’ National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs). The extra funding is to be spent on improving work including decarbonisation and tourism infrastructure.


 A starry night in Snowdonia by Gareth Mon.
 
Campaign for National Parks welcomes the extra spending as much needed. Corinne Pluchino, Chief Executive of Campaign for National Parks said: “The Welsh Government should absolutely be investing in the landscapes that make Wales itself such a special place. My hope is that Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons and the Pembrokeshire Coast National Parks see real benefit from this commitment.”
 
However, the charity warns that the National Parks have faced years of cuts and that Government must look more seriously at supporting Wales’ three National Parks.
 

A Christmas present with meaning…