The Protected Landscape Approach - Centre for Mediterranean ...

The Protected Landscape Approach: Linking Nature, Culture and Community
Building local support
In the UK, as in many other countries, it is recognised that protected areas will not survive, nor
achieve their aims, without local support. Since many people live in the Category V protected
areas and often play an important part in the management and protection of their natural and
cultural resources, such support is all the more necessary.
This means that local communities should feel that they are consulted and listened to, and
have their concerns addressed. Protected Landscapes should be seen to bring social and
economic benefits, or at least not unfairly disadvantage local people. There is much debate in
many Category V protected areas about how to provide jobs, incomes and affordable housing
in ways that are sustainable and support the protection, enhancement and enjoyment of the
Protected Landscape. For example, one challenge is providing affordable housing for local
people, and doing this to high design standards that complement the landscape. Many Protected
Landscapes have pioneered schemes of this kind, frequently working in partnership with other
bodies. Moreover, the quality of the natural environment is a key economic advantage: one in
six Welsh jobs, for example, depend directly on it. Even so, some people still feel that the
conservation policies of Category V protected areas can inhibit economic and social prospects,
especially through restrictions imposed by land use planning.
Of course, there have to be constraints, in particular to exclude large-scale economic
investment that would be out of scale with the landscape: quarrying, large infrastructure
projects and mass tourism, for example, and to check cumulative trends that erode the
landscape (such as poor design). On the other hand, it is widely believed that Category V
protected areas can support – indeed should attract – appropriately scaled, environmentally
sustainable development.
Governance is an important aspect of community involvement. As noted above, in most
cases the local democratic interest is secured by the nomination of local authority members to
the authorities that run the area. However these arrangements may still leave a “democratic
deficit”. The arrangement under which a fifth of the members of the new Scottish National
Parks will be directly elected is significant therefore.
There are also less formal ways of involving local communities, e.g., through community
fora, and all the Protected Landscapes authorities are required to consult widely over their
plans. The governance of Protected Landscapes is likely to remain a continuing source of
debate and innovation.
Benefits for society
The early history of National Parks in England and Wales, and of Regional Parks in Scotland,
was largely driven by the need to provide urban populations with recreational space and beauty
to offset the drudgery of industrial life. While the advent of cheap international tourism and
other social developments complicate this argument, it is as important as ever to protect
relatively wild places and unspoilt countryside, and make it accessible for public use. Some 100
million visits are paid each year to UK National Parks. However, realizing their full potential
for recreation and mental and physical well-being depends on greater social inclusion.
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