What makes some people go out for a Sunday walk while others stay at home playing computer games? New research into the future of outdoor recreation has been launched.
Recreation

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Outdoor recreation strategy for Natural England

Pennine Bridleway. © Countryside Agency/Mike Williams
What makes some people go out for a Sunday afternoon walk, while others are happy to sit at home exercising their thumbs playing a computer game?

Will a less active younger generation result in an increasingly unhealthy, sedentary older generation in future, making fewer visits to the outdoors? How will we know what other trends may have a great effect on our use of the outdoors?

These are the types of questions the Countryside Agency, English Nature and the Rural Development Service looked at in the first stage of their work to prepare an outdoor recreation strategy for Natural England.

In partnership with the Forestry Commission, the Natural England partner organisations have looked at the factors affecting outdoor recreation in England. This includes key social trends over the next 20 years, and what the implications of these will be for outdoor recreation between now and 2015.

The strategy will be wide ranging, covering Natural England work on:

  • promotion, and marketing the outdoors,
  • providing information,
  • healthy lifestyles,
  • monitoring use of outdoor space, 
  • planning and transport,
  • tourism and leisure,
  • managing the land to improve and extend access,
  • engaging the interest of young people, 
  • providing for disabled groups, and
  • other matters which are influenced by or impacted on by outdoor recreation.   

The aim is to have a consulation paper on outdoor recreation for Natural England to launch in 2007.

You can read the research report, as well as further information about the strategy, by clicking on the right-hand links.