Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty across the country are being renamed National Landscapes, with the new name and brand underpinning ambitious targets for nature. From today (Wednesday), the Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) will become Isle of Wight National Landscape. There are 46 National Landscapes in the UK, covering moorland, farmland, coast and forests, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, a Geopark and International Dark Sky Reserves. They are the UK’s nearby countryside – 66% of people in England live within 30 minutes of a National Landscape and at least 170 million people visit them every year. The new National Landscapes name reflects their national importance; the vital contribution they make to protect the nation from the threats of climate change, nature depletion and the wellbeing crisis, whilst also creating greater understanding and awareness for the work that they do. This is a significant milestone for the UK and the next step in fully realising the National Landscapes’ vision to be the leading exemplars of how thriving, diverse communities can work with and for nature in the UK: restoring ecosystems, providing food, storing carbon to mitigate the effects of climate change, safeguarding against drought and flooding, whilst also nurturing people’s health and wellbeing. By 2030, National Landscapes aim that, within their boundaries: at least 200,000 hectares of the most valuable natural areas (Sites of Special Scientific Interest or SSSIs), which equates to 1 ¼ times the size of London, will be in favourable condition; 100,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat outside of SSSIs will be created or restored, and 36,000 hectares of woodland will have been planted or allowed to regenerate. Richard Grogan, Manager for Isle of Wight National Landscape says:
“With the wealth of changes in the environment brought on us by climate change and nature declines and the increasing anxiety over the cost of living there is an increasing need for the conservation and enhancement of our natural world. “The Island’s AONB has helped provide a wide range of benefits, not just clean water, food and timber but opportunities to relax and take time out from pressures of the modern world. We hope, with the help of the wonderful communities found on the Island, we can continue to look after and benefit from the Island’s National Landscape.”
John Watkins, Chief Executive of the National Landscapes Association says:
“For decades, AONB teams have convened powerful partnerships which have placed them at the forefront of the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss, but since their initial designation, our country has changed immensely, as have the needs and pressures on the environment and communities. However, we have great ambition as well as the commitment and readiness to care for and protect these important places, whilst also extending a welcome to more people. “Our ambitious aims build on AONB teams’ long track record of successful delivery for nature and people and we are confident that we will achieve them. National Landscapes are the landscape designation for the 21 Century and beyond.”
Ending the daily flotilla of flotsam filling our tiny country would be a wonderful way to ensure that open, beautiful areas are preserved for future generations and ourselves, but most of all our wonderful fauna and flora that thrives there.
This would do more good than any other means AND at no cost to those living here now.
Our Island was stunning and still is in many areas but always under pressure from developers using fancy terms to build, ie affordable, sustainable, bio friendly etc.
Less people coming means less need to ruin. As those wishing to come is never ending, we need to act NOW
Trouble is our army and navy who should be circumventing the daily dinghy invasions are oath-bound to sausage-fingers lll himself-(not the uk populace)and very much the WEF stooge/traitor whose cronies are actually engineering the situation on a covert basis.
Thers no money for anything but rebranding something we know what is and have done for years seems a pointless waste of cash.
Another case of wasting ‘other people’s money’.
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is so much nicer than the new name, how much money do you suppose they’ve given some marketing team to come up with the cold National Landscape
Very well said Pete
changing it to “National landscapes” gives the impression of encompassing all of the land – AONB only applied to a section of the land.
This makes it far easier to push a development project through, which won’t attract so much attention, with the words national landscapes in the documents, but having “area of outstanding natural beauty” is almost guaranteed to see any building project rejected.
this is an underhand way of softening resistance to planning, unless closer inspection of the plans is undertaken.
be warned.
The Isle of Wight should be a national park, and only greedy developers and the corrupt council (who go hand in hand) are stopping it from happening. National park status would increase tourism and protect our beautiful island from further unnecessary development.
Vote reform uk
And vote reform MPs fir the island
Get rid of the cons and liebour
“This land is your land, this land is my land…..this land was made for you and me” . Woodie Guthrie. In fact, it belongs to faceless officials over whom we have no control.
Sandown = sh*thole, such a shame use to be a nice place
When they said a new name for areas of natural beauty I thought they were going to change it to building site
Can’t see how a change of name will bring about such exciting change in other directions. Just a waste of money as I see it. An area of outstanding natural beauty / or landscape makes no difference other than the need to change many printed plans, letterheads etc. etc. – doesn’t change anything else !.