Breadcrumbs
Sofa or surfer? - 20 December 2005
What makes some people go out for a Sunday afternoon walk, while others sit at home exercising their thumbs on the remote control? Will a less active younger generation result in an increasingly unhealthy, sedentary older generation, making fewer visits to the outdoors? How will we know what other trends effect our use of the outdoors?
These are the types of questions that the Countryside Agency, English Nature and the Rural Development Service are looking to answer in the first stage of new work to prepare an outdoor recreation strategy for Natural England.
Members of the Natural England partnership are working with the Forestry Commission to understand the factors likely to effect outdoor recreation in England over the next 20 years, and what the implications of these will be.
This work will contribute to an outdoor recreation strategy for Natural England, which will launch in October 2006, subject to Royal Assent. A public consultation is scheduled for Summer 2006.
To view the latest background research and find out more about the process, log on to www.countryside.gov.uk
ENDS
For further information contact the press office at the Countryside Agency on:
Beth Rose: 01242 533306 or 07900 608 052
Matthew Heard: 01242 533476 or 07900 608 168
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Notes to Editors:
Following publication of the draft Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill in February, English Nature, the Rural Development Service and the Countryside Agency’s Landscape, Access and Recreation division are working towards integration as a single body: Natural England. It will work for people, places and nature with responsibility for enhancing biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas; promoting access, recreation and public wellbeing, and contributing to the way natural resources are managed – so they can be enjoyed now and for future generations.
English Nature is the independent Government agency that champions the conservation of wildlife and geology throughout England.
The Rural Development Service is the largest deliverer of the England Rural Development Programme and a range of advisory and regulatory rural services. With the administration of a multi-million pound grant budget for schemes which support land management, rural businesses and rural communities, the Rural Development Service is the single largest organisation working for the benefit of rural areas in England.
The Countryside Agency’s Landscape, Access and Recreation division aims to help everyone respect, protect and enjoy the countryside – protecting natural landscapes; and encouraging access to, enjoyment of and sustainable management and use of the countryside.
