The Wales Biodiversity Deep Dive – Unlocking the potential of Designated Landscapes
By Howard Davies
Background
In 2022 the world agreed to a landmark plan – the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework – to halt and reverse global biodiversity loss by 2030. The plan was centred on the target to protect or conserve at least 30 percent of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030 (30x30).
In the same year, the then Minister for Climate Change in Wales, Julie James MS worked with a group of key experts and practitioners to undertake a Biodiversity Deep Dive to develop a set of actions that could be taken in Wales to support the delivery of this global objective.
Protected Areas are recognised as the cornerstone of biodiversity conservation. National Parks and National Landscapes (formerly AONBs) form part of the UK’s protected area network and are therefore key to the delivery of the 30x30 target. In Wales, these areas have a crucial role to play in response to this global commitment.
As part of Welsh Government’s commitment to 30x30 it formed three expert groups to consider three areas of interest - data and evidence, Other Effective Area based Conservation Measures (OECMs), and how best to ‘unlock the potential’ of National Parks and National Landscapes (collectively referred to as Designated Landscapes) to deliver more for nature. In the summer of 2023 I was appointed as an independent chair of the latter.
The Discussion
The term landscape, as it applies in environmental management, has different meanings and multiple applications. It is not always applied coherently, and is often contested. This has been further complicated by the ambition to conserve and enhance natural beauty, and for this to become the foundation for the purpose of Designated Landscape management.
Although physical and sensible, in that they can be perceived through the senses, landscapes are the outcome of processes, driven, defined, and understood culturally by people. They have their roots in social conscience, and different social groups can appropriate the same space in different ways. Designated landscapes are contested spaces, over which the exercise of power creates territories, both material and symbolic. Landscape is a medium of cultural expression that can reinforce values and a sense of identity. It is equally capable of creating discomfort, alienation and isolation. Those empowered with its management therefore hold significant responsibility.
Landscape is a meeting ground between nature and culture, geology and geography, past and present, and between tangible and intangible values. Its expression in policy terms is therefore complex, but ultimately ripe with progressive potential.
As we work to address the existential crises of climate change and nature loss the relationships between environmental, social, and economic policy have become clear. ‘Landscape’ as a nexus is not only an antidote to the reductionist approach to environmental management that has exacerbated the problems we face today, but could be the central mechanism by which people can engage with the natural world. It was against this backdrop of shared understanding that a year of in-depth discussions, prioritisation and consensus building took place.
Our exploration covered seven main themes:
the global context within which Designated Landscapes operate, how we learn from elsewhere, and the merits of global good practice
the importance of a strategic framework for all Welsh Designated Landscapes to prioritise activity and add impact at pace to the twin challenges of nature recovery and climate change.
a ‘Team Wales’ approach and how better collaboration could drive increased effectiveness
the legislative levers we have to affect change; the opportunities and constraints
the importance of GIS, datasets, and the value of targeted mapping for nature (supported by two pilot projects)
the role of Designated Landscapes in supporting farmers and land managers to deliver for nature
the importance of diversity and inclusion in driving innovation, behavioural change and effectiveness
The Outcome
National Parks and National Landscapes are globally recognised as Category V protected areas. Whilst it is important to define protected area objectives and understand the role they can play in contributing to wider global targets, the central issue is their effectiveness.
The effective management of Wales’s protected areas is fundamental to nature recovery.
Designated Landscapes in Wales are in a prime place to learn from the thinking surrounding two United Nations programmes -the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Sustainable Development Goals, both of which are naturally brought together through the Landscape Approach (1), framed in Wales by the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 20152 and for which the IUCN’s Category V Protected Area management guidelines (3) provide the governance mechanism.
There are many global initiatives that either directly or indirectly can help realise Welsh Government’s ambition for designated landscapes. Expanding our global perspective on Protected Area management will support innovation, challenge cultural biases, and ultimately improve the effectiveness of designated landscapes in Wales.
The Convention on Biological Diversity has three main objectives: the conservation of biological diversity; the sustainable use of the components of biological diversity; and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources. The integrated approach to management planning adopted by National Parks and National Landscapes is ideally suited to advancing these objectives in a way that reflects their interdependences.
Management planning is a participatory process that integrates national priorities with local need. They are plans for the area, not the authorities, and are revised every five years. Two documents are therefore particularly important – Natural Resources Wales’ emerging Management Planning guidance, and a Wales wide strategic framework, in development by Tirweddau Cymru (4) , that sets out a group of integrated goals designed to increase the pace of delivery and impact change at a systems level. These documents will help frame decision-making during this period of change.
Discussions also highlighted the importance of State of the Landscape reports. These would provide a snapshot of the current baseline condition, feedback on the efficacy of existing policies, and model future scenarios. Currently baseline data collection is too variable to support strategic planning and prioritising at a Wales level. The Duty of Regard is a central statutory pillar in the delivery of Designated Landscape purposes.
The duty applies to ‘relevant authorities’ outlined in legislation who are obligated to have regard to the purposes of designation. This means that they need to take guidance into account, and to ‘have and give clear reasons’ for any departure from it. The Duty of Regard applies to all functions, not just those relating to planning, and is applicable whether a function is statutory or permissive.
Importantly, the duty ‘to have regard’ is process rather than outcome orientated, e.g. the focus is on whether or not a relevant authority has thought about the purposes of designation, rather than how it can work in partnership to further them through its decision-making. The efficacy of this duty is currently insufficient, so establishing a National Relevant Authorities Forum to work collaboratively at a strategic national scale to drive systemic change and provide the context for individual designated landscapes management plans would be valuable.
Recognising that the duty of regard has been recently strengthened in England with a requirement to be more proactive, there is value in monitoring the impact of this change with a view to assessing the need for legislative change in the future.
Designated landscapes are areas where the interaction of people and nature over time has produced an area of distinct character with significant ecological, biological, cultural and scenic value (5). Recognising and respecting this interaction is paramount to their effective management. Consideration of access, inclusion, equity and justice forms an integral element of environmental decision-making. This is essential to unlocking the motivation, innovation and practical action required to drive nature recovery in Designated Landscapes.
A Team Wales approach was recognised as key to unlocking the potential of Designated Landscapes. A high degree of collaboration is already taking place, but simplified, faster, more efficient processes and relationships with key conservation delivery partners is essential. Addressing issues around permitting and consenting are a priority. There is also an appetite for a more collaborative approach to governance, streamlined delivery, and risk management.
Over the course of the discussions, Tirweddau Cymru generated nature recovery maps for two Designated Landscapes. This iterative and collaborative process resulted in a finalised series of Prioritised Nature Recovery action maps that highlighted conservation priorities, landscape scale nature recovery opportunities, and where to target nature based solutions. Adopting this approach across all Designated Landscapes will be key to addressing nature recovery at scale and pace.
National Park Authorities and National Landscape partnerships have worked collaboratively with farmers since their creation, recognising that agriculture is the dominant land use and a key delivery mechanism by which the nature and climate emergencies can be effectively addressed. A resilient and sustainable incentive system to support farmers and growers is therefore crucial. The development of a Sustainable Farming Scheme for Wales that provides an opportunity to integrate the purposes of Designated Landscapes with incentives for positive agro-ecological practice, reflects the importance of investing in their special qualities, and supports the delivery of the socioeconomic and well-being duties is therefore paramount.
Designated landscape bodies could, through participatory management planning, facilitate local conversations with farmers, growers and land managers to co-create a compelling vision for future food and farming at a landscape scale. Teams could offer a strategic approach to achieve this vision, aligning positive land management with nature recovery and other components of natural beauty. Their detailed understanding of the area, coupled with strong local relationships provides the ability to guide and optimise the relationship between Sustainable Farming Scheme outcomes and deliver nature recovery.
The group therefore highlighted the importance of specialist advisors, embedded in Designated Landscapes but working through Tirweddau Cymru, to enable a consistent approach to farmer engagement. They would facilitate sharing of knowledge and expertise to enable action to be tailored to individual landscapes. Local knowledge, tailored support, prescription, and intervention that translates national priorities into locally relevant opportunities is key to achieving effective management and nature recovery.
Public participation in planning and decision-making is fundamental to effective designated landscape management. Not only does this help build consensus around cocreated plans of action, but helps address issues of justice and equity. Participatory dialogue is an essential precursor to meeting climate and nature emergency targets. It will help drive the necessary behavioural change required alongside legislation, and ensure the cultural nature of Wales’ designated landscapes is reflected in planning and decision making.
The decisions people make, and the behaviours they adopt, lie at the heart of unlocking the potential of designated landscapes to deliver more for nature.
Recommendations
The group make 9 key recommendations at this stage
Designated Landscapes should actively engage with, contribute to, and learn from global good practice in defining, planning and monitoring protected area management effectiveness.
NRW’s Updated Management Plan Guidance should provide a renewed focus and ambition, and define the framework within which Deep Dive recommendations can be delivered.
‘State of the Landscape Reports’ should be explored as a mechanism to identify baselines, support objective setting, scenario plan, and target activity.
The duty of regard is currently sub-optimal. The group recommends setting up a National Relevant Authorities Forum supported by an update of the current s62/s85 guidance
Geographical Information System capability needs to be strengthened within National Landscapes.
The breadth and depth of collaboration by Designated Landscapes needs to be widened, with consideration of access, inclusion, equity and justice forming an integral element
A Team Wales approach to shared governance, streamlined delivery, and risk management is essential if we are to tackle the technical challenges associated with consents, permitting, and grant funding.
The development of the SFS provides an opportunity to integrate the purposes of Designated Landscapes with incentives for positive farming practice. Specialist advisors, embedded in Designated Landscapes but working in partnership through TCLW, would enable a more consistent approach to farmer and land manager engagement
The Access Reform Programme is the key to creating a culture of respect, cooperation, and connection with Wales’s natural environment, fostering a sense of stewardship and pro-environmental behaviour. Welsh Government should consider how it can work with NRW and the Designated Landscapes to raise its profile.
In Conclusion
The contribution that National Parks and National Landscapes make towards nature recovery is significant, but they have the potential to do more. These recommendations represent a first step. They are not all directed at others – they themselves reflect the integrated nature of landscape and the collective responsibility we all have in helping unlock the potential of these nationally designated places to deliver more for nature.
Howard Davies
Independent Chair
Biodiversity Deep Dive – Designated Landscapes expert group