Force for Change

Impact on AONBs/NPs

Climate Change/ Breakdown

A primary area of concern for landscape managers - both in terms of impact on natural processes and in how communities choose to respond to climate breakdown.

Adaptation measures (e.g. flood alleviation schemes, managed coastal retreat) and mitigation measures (e.g. increased woodland planting, renewable energy schemes) all have consequences for landscape.  The actions implemented to mitigate against and adapt to climate change, as well as the impacts themselves, will greatly influence other future forces for change.

The challenge is to build resilience into our landscapes.

Globalised - Market-Driven Forces

Land management is increasingly subject to the whims of the global marketplace. Complex and shifting forces; world wheat prices, demand for biofuels, the price of finite resources, play out in our rural landscape.

The evolution of the global economy can unfold in many ways; from increased global commodity trading to market failure and increasing need for self reliance. What we know is that our local, regional and national economies are largely dependent on factors determined globally.

Increasing Demands - Population & Development

There is widespread agreement that demands on land are greater than ever – demands to provide a wide range of goods and services are growing from energy to food to flood alleviation to recreation.

Development pressure is a key force for change in the region. The targets for population growth in the Regional Spatial Strategy challenge the protected landscapes to conserve and enhance landscapes whilst providing the housing and infrastructure that a growing population needs.

Policy Shifts

Further reform of the European Union Common Agricultural Policy, new EU Directives and the end of ‘classic’ agri-environment schemes will all impact on the viability of traditional land management practices.

Defra-driven policies and approaches will strengthen a drive for multi-purpose landscapes delivering a range of ‘goods and services’.  Farmers may in future be paid for the full range of services that their land management practices deliver (e.g flood alleviation, recreation).

Social Changes

An increasingly ageing population of farmers brings further uncertainty to the land-based industries. Increased mechanisation hastens the loss of the traditional practical skills base that in turn results in the loss of boundary features through time/skills deficit.

Recreation & Tourism

The region already attracts some 26 million visitors a year, attracted by the landscape’s scenic beauty and cultural assets. The trend to more active modes of outdoor enjoyment can pose conflicts with those seeking 'quiet' enjoyment.

A political shift toward greater local involvement in decision making and delivery

Government rhetoric promotes greater participation in decision-making and shifts to local empowerment as witnessed in Local Strategic Partnerships.

AONB Partnerships and National Park Authorities are well placed to build on this shift and increase their contribution as local delivey agents.

Continued loss of wildlife sites/assets

The South West has the largest area of semi-natural habitat of any English region. Less than half of this habitat is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). A disproportionate number of bird species are dependent on a small number of well managed sites. We need to “stop the rot, conserve the best and enhance the rest".

Continued neglect of historic assets

The region has 7,000, or one third, of England’s scheduled monuments. English Heritage surveys show that some 57% (3988 monuments) are at risk from damage, decay or loss. Arable farming and erosion by livestock are the two most significant threats to heritage assets, see: SW heritage at risk.

Cumulative impacts of small scale changes and the suburbanisation of rural development

The cumulative impacts of the small, seemingly innocuous developments that, when taken together, can slowly erode the special and distinctive qualities of protected landscapes.