Western Morning News (Saturday)
Give us wildlife in our wild places
David Hampson says the public wants more wildlife in the landscape
THE Westcountry is lucky to have so many protected landscapes – National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) – from the windswept uplands of Dartmoor, Exmoor, the Quantocks and the Blackdowns to the sparkling coastlines of Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly.
There is only one week to go before the end of an important consultation on reforms to England’s protected landscapes. As the government accepts, these special places have lost much of their wildlife since they were first created 70 years ago. Wildlife has been pushed to their fringes or lost altogether, driven out by intensive land management that has been the result of inappropriate subsidies. Landscapes have lost much of their natural diversity, colour and sound.
A new independent survey, commissioned by the RSPB, shows there is huge public demand for nature to be restored to these landscapes. Our report Natural Parks?, draws on the results of a survey of 1,750 adults across England and finds out what people want. We have had a closer look at the data to see what people in the South West think about these special places.
A huge majority want nature-rich protected landscapes.
We found that what people most value about these places is their wildlife and nature. 70% of Westcountry residents chose this as the feature of National Parks and AONBs they love the most.
But they think these landscapes are doing better than they are. Almost two thirds of people in the South West expected that wildlife would be doing better inside National Parks and AONBs than across the rest of the countryside.
When they found out that it wasn’t, 87% were concerned and 92% said that it was important to them for wildlife to be restored. In fact, this was their number one priority for these landscapes, more so even than tackling climate change or promoting cultural heritage.
If wildlife in these areas is to be brought back from the brink, the way they look and are managed has to change.
We found that people in our region strongly support those changes. 78% were in favour of nature-friendly land management practices – such as restoring wildflower meadows, reducing the number of grazing animals and increasing the number of broadleaved trees – even though this will change the visual appearance of the landscape. The message is clear, there is little appetite for National
Parks and AONBs to be preserved in their current state, people want to see them revived.
Westcountry residents overwhelmingly rejected the idea that the land management practices, like high numbers of grazing animals and moorland burning, that harm nature should continue. Only 6% of them did not want these practices to change.
As the government consults on changes to the statutory objectives of National Parks and AONBs, these results provide strong support for making restoring nature their main objective and making sure their other objectives do not harm nature.
This does not mean putting wildlife ahead of people. The approach will deliver for both. Many farmers are already showing that naturefriendly techniques are not only good for the environment but make good business sense, for example reducing input costs and boosting helpful pollinators. Lower intensity practices may also, in many cases, be considered far more traditional and in keeping with the cultural heritage of these valuable landscapes.
Landscape boards need more expertise and resources.
The report also explores some of the other issues raised by the government’s consultation. For example, the consultation seeks views on how people are appointed to the boards of National Parks and AONBs.
A review for the government found that these boards were lacking people with expertise in restoring nature. Our report finds that 80% of people in the South West would like board members to be recruited through open competition, based on expertise. Even more want them to have a balance of skills across the landscapes’ objectives.
We also found strong public support for the Government to increase funding for the bodies responsible for our region’s protected landscapes, following a decade of deep cuts to their financing.
The people have spoken, now the government must listen and urgently bring forward bold reforms to meet the demand for the West Country’s protected landscapes to be alive with nature. In the meantime, we have until 9 April to make sure this opportunity is not missed and that all our voices are heard in the consultation.
David Hampson is the RSPB’s site policy officer
Monday: Judi Spiers has been for her annual MoT – including a not-too-painful trip to the dentist