Breadcrumbs
A golden birthday for British beauty - 5 May 2006
There are 49 AONBs in Britain*, accounting for 18 percent of the finest countryside in England and Wales. Designated for their natural beauty, these national landscapes are tranquil and beautiful places for everyone to enjoy; as well as being home to exquisite and unusual plant and wildlife.
Andrew Wood, Director of Landscape, Access and Recreation for the Countryside Agency, said: “In a rapidly evolving and ever-encroaching modern world, AONB designation acts to ensure that these national landscapes are conserved and protected for the enjoyment of future generations.”
Wood added: “The anniversary celebrations provide an opportunity to reflect on the success of the designations, while also giving thought to new challenges and the measures required to protect our AONBs.”
AONBs in Britain offer startling variations in size and landscape character - from the windswept Northumberland Coast to the steep wooded valleys of the Blackdown Hills, the cosy harbours of Cornwall and ancient oak hunting forest of Cannock Chase.
Visit www.countryside.gov.uk, www.aonb.org.uk, www.visitaonb.org.uk for information.
-ENDS-
For further information, interviews and photographs please contact the Countryside Agency press office on:
Beth Rose: 01242 533306 or 07900 608 052
Matthew Heard: 07900 608 168
Notes to Editors
AONBs
*There are 40 AONBs in England and Wales (35 wholly in England, 4 wholly in Wales and 1 which straddles the border). Created by the legislation of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949. There are also 9 AONBs in Northern Ireland - and a further two (Erne Lakeland and Fermanagh Caveland) are proposed.
To mark the golden anniversary, celebration events will be taking place all year in AONBs across Britain. From themed walks and cycle rides to local food festivals and photographic competitions, tree planting to craft workshops.
The Countryside Agency
The Countryside Agency is the statutory body working to make the quality of life better for people in the countryside and the quality of the countryside better for everyone. It is a non-departmental body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The Agency is changing as the result of Defra's Rural Strategy (published in July 2004) and the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill. The Bill includes changes to:
- establish a Commission for Rural Communities that will act as a rural advocate, expert adviser and independent watchdog, with a particular focus on disadvantage. Currently operating as a division of the Countryside Agency, the Commission will become an independent body when the Bill becomes law.
- form a single new body – Natural England – that will integrate the Landscape, Access and Recreation division of the Countryside Agency with English Nature and most of Defra’s Rural Development Service (RDS). Natural England 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 well-being, and contributing to the way natural resources are managed – so that they can be enjoyed now and by future generations.
These changes are expected to come into effect in October 2006, at which point the Countryside Agency will cease to exist.
We may be changing, but our skills, knowledge and enthusiasm will continue to benefit people in rural England. To find out more about our work, and for information about the countryside, visit our website: www.countryside.gov.uk
