Public Attitudes and Preferences for Upland Landscapes - Defra

were considered to contribute to a ‘pastoral’ scene. Specific hedges or walls were of
interest in terms of nesting birds or lichen on the stonework, but also (especially with
stone walls) of a sense that people had created them.
- Bogs and marshes were considered to be important for birdwatchers and as a place to
trap water and prevent flooding. A few people valued peat bogs for wider environmental
reasons (e.g. as carbon sinks) but the mainstream generally felt that they did not deliver
many cultural services on a widespread basis.
- Moorland was valued for its wildness and “bleakness” but moorland areas were not
always thought to be beautiful places by the majority of respondents. Generally, the
sense of openness was considered to be the most important aspect of such landscapes
but heather, deer and rocky outcrops were features that contributed to the quality of the
experience. Moorland was perceived to deliver quite an intense experience, and could be
seen as “inspiring” or “spiritual”, but was less likely to be “calming” or “historical”.
Moorlands were considered to be special landscapes that were perceived to be truly wild
with little perceived management.
Although not a physical feature of the upland landscape, the sense of community and
the continuity of interaction between people and the environment over time was recorded as a
highly valued feature of the uplands for a small sample of local residents from three North
Pennines villages (Land Use Consultants and University of Sheffield (1998), referenced in
Swannick et al. (2007). This contributed to a strong sense of identity and of links with the past.
This finding supports the suggestion made by Swannick et al. (2007) that, landscape is an area
of land consisting of the physical, natural, social and cultural dimensions of the environment and
the interactions between them.
Summary section 4
- The public value features such as historical man-made features, dry stone walls and
irregularly shaped fields because they give a sense of people’s continued interaction with
the landscape and give the landscape a ‘pastoral’ feel.
- Moorland is particularly important for those living in it and contributes a sense of local
identity. It is also considered to have intense experiential qualities being described as
inspiring and spiritual.
5. Public understanding of the relationship between agriculture and upland landscape
features
Only one of the studies reviewed (SAC 2006) explicitly asked members of the public to
consider the role of hill farming in delivering non-landscape services. This research looked at the
public’s appreciation of existing upland features and their understanding of the relationship
between agriculture and the landscape. In general, respondents understood that a decrease in
grazing would lead to an increase in scrub land and other vegetation and these changes were
not always viewed negatively. A survey designed to inform the focus groups in this study asked
respondents to indicate their level of agreement with a number of statements about agriculture.
The intention was to focus respondents’ attention on the role of agriculture and the potential
policy trade-offs that could be made in managing the uplands. Overall, respondents agreed that a
reduction in agriculture would mean that the landscape would become less attractive and that
rural communities and rural economies would suffer. However, just under half of respondents
agreed that the quality of lakes and rivers would improve or that conditions would become more
favourable for wildlife and there seemed to be considerably more uncertainty over these two
statements. The Research Box study found that in Exmoor, both positive and negative effects
were expressed in relation to agriculture’s influence on the landscape. Several older participants
noted that farmers were responsible for creating the landscape of Exmoor but there was wide
agreement that some new agricultural enterprises brought changes, especially “elephant grass”
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