National parks ‘could lose international recognition’
AN ARM of one of the world’s most influential conservation bodies has threatened to withdraw recognition from Wales’ National Parks (NPs) and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs).
Environmental experts are deeply concerned by Future Landscapes, a major Welsh Government-commissioned report. They are adamant that the priority of nature conservation should not be watered down.
The UK Assessment Panel of the World Commission on Protected Areas warns: “If acted upon, the recommendations in the Future Landscapes report would make it impossible for the panel to continue to accord international recognition to Wales’s NPs and AONBs as protected areas.”
The panel is part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – an international body which brings together thousands of experts and government agencies and other groups. Withdrawal of recognition would be seen as a major vote of no confidence in the stewardship of Wales’ landscapes.
In a strong critique of the Future Landscapes report, they say it is “remarkable for referring only once in passing to the role that these places play, and could play better, in conserving biodiversity in Wales” and they warn it creates “uncertainty as to the future of the protected landscapes”.
It is described as a “big step backwards” from the 2015 report on Wales’ national landscapes led by Professor Terry Marsden of Cardiff University. The panel argue the “strong environmental message” of that “groundbreaking” report has been “diluted”, claiming it “conspicuously fails to endorse the core recommendations from Marsden about the primacy of conservation, and sets out a questionable view of these designated areas as ‘catalysts for regional development’”.
Anne Meikle, head of WWF Cymru, said: “We are concerned that the IUCN have made these comments and Welsh Government should consider them seriously. Wales’ national parks are part of a global network of protected areas that not only conserve amazing landscapes but also some of our most cherished species.
“Globally, protected areas are under threat – half of the natural World Heritage Sites are at risk from harmful industrial activities, so it’s critical we conserve our protected sites in Wales.”
Aberconwy Conservative AM Janet Finch-Saunders said: “These observations are very critical of the Future Landscapes report and the Welsh Government needs to address the concerns of bodies such as the IUCN, which confer protected status on Wales’ national parks... Our National Parks must be properly protected, and it is the Welsh Government’s duty to ensure that our well-deserved international recognition is maintained and strengthened.”
Adrian Phillips, one of the signatories of the panel’s report, said: “Because [the Future Landscapes] report leaves wide open the relationship between conservation and economic development, then it looks very doubtful whether those areas could be continued to be recognised as protected areas... The current arrangements provide for international recognition; the Marsden report would strengthen that undoubtedly, but this new report would weaken it to the point I think where we were saying that we don’t think that it would be possible to continue to regard them as protected in the international sense.”
A Welsh Government spokeswoman said: “We will consider the comments made by the UK Assessment Panel of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas. They will also be forwarded to the Future Landscapes Wales chair, Lord Dafydd ElisThomas AM and the wide range of stakeholders involved in the Future Landscapes Wales programme so they may consider them as part of their ongoing deliberations”.