There have been a lot of rumblings over the last few years about protected areas – Special Sites of Scientific Interest (SSSIs), Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and National Parks for instance. SSSIs, in particular, have often been called wildlife gardening, suggesting that they are no more than isolated points in the landscape, selected and managed by hobbyists, with no real purpose beyond their immediate boundaries.
But let’s be clear – these protected areas are the backbone of nature conservation on land and at sea.
It’s true that protected areas have historically been selected as individual sites important for nature conservation, for recreation or for tourism – and often for a combination of these. They’ve been considered to be an appropriate way to protect our rarest and most threatened flora and fauna. But in addition, they’ve played roles in research, education and awareness-raising, the preservation and support of cultural traditions and in safeguarding wilderness areas.
Even in Wales we have areas such as Borth Bog which, under the international classification, are wilderness because of the lack of human intervention….although they don’t quite fit with the mental image of a wilderness!
However, in the face of current environmental challenges – particularly climate change and habitat fragmentation – these protected areas have an essential role to perform in providing nodal points of connectivity in the landscape and at sea for biodiversity.
The pass at Nant Peris, Snowdonia National Park
Protected areas are already sympathetically managed for the benefit of biodiversity and other natural features. As nodal points in connected land and seascapes, they are central to the formation of coherent networks that will enable species to move and thrive in response to current and future environmental challenges.
And why is biodiversity important?….I could give you many reasons but, if there’s one that affects us all, it’s biodiversity’s central role in ecosystems. And ecosystems are mankind’s life support system, providing us with an enormous range of benefits without which we can’t survive.
Coherent networks of protected areas can thus provide resilience for biodiversity to a wide range of environmental challenges, a resilience that is essential to safeguard the ecosystems upon which we depend. They are a key tool for limiting the impacts of environmental challenges, especially climate change, on biodiversity and on ecosystem services. Creating and expanding the protected areas networks within Europe and globally is an essential component of adapting to climate change and halting the loss of biodiversity.
That aside, CCW has joined the blogosphere!
I’m aiming to blog about once a fortnight on some of the current issues and debates about the Welsh environment. I’m hoping that you will comment so that we can continue the debate.
See also
CCW protected sites and landscapes map
The protected areas map records the treasured landscape of Wales, highlighting our National Parks (NPs), National Nature Reserves (NNRs) and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) as well as Special Sites of Scientific Interest (SSSIs). A newly revised map is due for launch in the next few months.
It’s interesting to reflect on the way that we teach diversity in schools, and that in government, training on the topic is mandatory.
If we taught biodiversity in the same way, and people learned to respect life for it’s own sake, to protect it and care for it, is it just possible that they might learn to care for people too? Our focus on only teaching ‘human diversity’ has perhaps missed out on the most important message of all – that it’s all life that’s important, not just us; by learning to love live, we can learn to respect each other.
A very good point from the previous commenter.
Surely we have to ingrain in people, from a very early age, that life is not simply ‘pretty’, or majestic, or even fascinating…?
It doesn’t matter if we fill the world with adjectives. ‘Astonishing’ is just another word and we serve nothing, least of all ourselves, if we continue to take the view of a spectator – the living Earth is not merely a spectator sport for humanity.
By further understanding the actual requirement for a complex, living world – and that our survival depends on it – we surely are in a better place to do right by it, to become responsible custodians, and to give our own species a far better chance of continuation through careful development.
Then, we can paint the world with adjectives, and might even deserve to do so.
I’ve been working on a photography project for 2020 vision who aim to show the link between a healthy ecosystem and healthy people. I have been covering the Plymlumon area, Havren forest and the Osprey project to name a few. I will be writting my bit on there blog quite soon but there are very interesting stories from other photographers around the UK.
It has been such an eye opener to see the majority of land use is to keep up with demands of produce. One can easely get carried away, exstending ways to get more produce, forgetting to conserve some areas of land for what its there for- providing and sustaining a heathy ecosystem in the delicate balence.
Perhaps you can explain to me clearly how these protection orders actually work. (AONB’s), (TPO’s), (SSSI’s) etc. and how, when it suits, these can be revoked at the whim of a Multi Million corporate company like Land and Lakes who are planning to destroy Acres of Welsh woodland to build a Gated Holiday Village, where the local people and general public will be denied access to.
I live in Holyhead on Holy Island, Isle of Anglesey.I am a member of a group almost 1000 people who are trying to save a 200 acre woodland established since 1816 where we live. Penrhos Nature Reserve, is under threat from development. Although this Reserve was designated an Area of Outstanding Beauty in 1967, has Tree preservation Orders and is an area of Special Scientific Interest since 2009, also the headland in the Reserve is designated as a Regionally Important Geological and Geomorphologic Site (UK RIGS) and is part of the Welsh Coastal Path Network. We are being told that these orders mean nothing and can be revoked upon to build almost 500 Chalets. You cannot seriously tell me there will be No Environmental Impact on the Flora and Fauna there
We have over 100.000 visitors a year to this Reserve, and is the only wooded area we have and indeed, we have used in generations. Penrhos is by all accounts a Theological paradise, it is home to the humble fungi, to badgers,Bats, Red Squirrel ans Foxes, to domestic and migratory birds including diver, Grebes, Sea Ducks, Gulls, Terns, a large Cormorant colony,pipits, warblers, Chats and Buntings, rarities have included Red-necked Phalarope, Mediterranean Glaucouis gulls, Golden Oriole, Black Redstart, the list goes on.
I like many others are Strongly Opposed to Land and Lakes Ltd Plans for our Beautiful Nature Reserve and find it difficult to understand, How and Why The above orders are set in place to Protect and Conserve,but when it comes down to it have little or No meaning whatsoever.
I second what Hilary says above. I fail to see the point of proclaiming areas as AONB & SSSI & UKRIGS if as soon a s developer pops their head round the door it’s just totally ignored along with the wishes of the majority of the local population.
I have to concur with what has been said above. Its all very nice to have these areas proclaimed as areas of beauty but it doesn’t mean anything as they can be easily bulldozed or raves be held on them with seemingly no comeback. On Anglesey as it has been mentioned the Penrhos nature reserve is at complete risk of being completly destroyed and the much talked about coastal path which passes through it will be closed to walkers. North of that the Carreglwyd forestry is invadid by a 4 day rave now which results in excessive noise and rubbish on the site but the council have green lighted the event.
It seems that we are wasting good public money after bad on organisations such as CCW, EAW and Forrestry commision when the first time anyone steps up to destroy these areas we here nothing but silence. What is the point of designating the area and advertising them if they are not afforded any protection.Anglesey will soon have no trees left and be covered in so many industrial size windfarms that we are at risk of taking off. Someone somewhere must have the power to stop this and if not why do we pay so much tax!