Earlier this year the Welsh Assembly Government published its Future Landscapes Wales report (FLW); detailing its plans for our National Parks and AONBs. (1)
Plans that would see the removal of the “Sandford Principle” the key environmental safeguard for these areas.
Plans that would see “promoting sustainable forms of natural resource management and economic and community development” become a new purpose for our National Parks without the guarantee that environmental protections would come first. (2)
Plans that would see our National Parks lose their international status as protected areas under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They would no longer be National Parks at all. (3)
Thanks to the opposition of AMs, driven by your letters and emails, the Welsh Government has allowed public consultation on the FLW plans. They have been included with a selection of other proposals as part of the “Taking Forward Wales’ Sustainable Management of Natural Resources”(SMNR) consultation. You can find this here:
Save Our Rivers, in conjunction with many other conservation organisations, has submitted a response. In short we are asking for 3 things:
That the Sandford Principle be maintained and applied across all purposes for National Parks.
That any change in legislation follows the recommendations of the Marsden report.(5)
That Welsh Government maintains the international recognition of our National Parks.
You can read our full response here:
SOR Full Response - PDF download
We need you to respond as well. Tell the Welsh Government that our National Parks are important to you and that continued environmental protection is the key to safeguarding them for the future.
Download the template letter below:
Make sure you add your details at the top and feel free to add to or amend our text to reflect your own concerns. Then email it to
by Saturday 30th September.
Aspects of the SMNR consultation will also deal with improvements in paddlesport access in Wales. Canoe Wales are asking for a public response in relation to this, you can find details of this and how to get involved here:
http://www.canoewales.com/ws-blog/post/2236-your-help-needed-before-30-sep
References
- http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/students/whatisanationalpark/aimsandpurposesofnationalparks/sandfordprinciple
- http://gov.wales/topics/environmentcountryside/consmanagement/review-designated-landscapes-wales/?lang=en
- http://gov.wales/docs/desh/publications/151020-review-designated-landscapes-appendix-i-vi-en.pdf
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-40754816
- http://gov.wales/docs/desh/publications/151020-review-designated-landscapes-report-en.pdf
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