Politics, Protected Landscapes and the Ecosystem Approach in Wales

Morgan ParryChair, Countryside Council for Wales

NAAONB Conference, Falmouth

Presentation by Morgan Parry, Chair, Countryside Council for WalesAlthough funding is a major concern for all AONBs I’m not going to talk about moneytoday. Neither can I say much about the future of AONBs in Wales because the newGovernment has yet to address the issue of protected areas and ideas are in development.The Welsh Election May 2011 returned a Labour Administration, with no overall majorityNew Minister of Environment & Sustainability is John GriffithsNo significant change of direction from the preceding Government has been signalled yet but all protected areas will come under spotlight, we will have to show how they are coreareas for delivering a range of ecosystem services.The big show in town is the Natural Environment Framework, Wales’ equivalent to theNatural Environment White Paper in England. Based on National EcosystemAssessment, but less on Lawton Report on Biodiversity, it will be broader in scope thanthe England White Paper. Discussions about this are intimately linked with the setting upof a Single Environment Body created from CCW/EA/FC. To a degree, the new body willbe designed around the ecosystem approach. Discussion is also taking place around the potential of newly acquired primary legislativepowers a Sustainable Development Bill may put the SD Duty on a firmer legal footing.An Environment Act, possibly to be scheduled later in the term of this Government, mayconsolidate the provisions of existing UK legislation into new Welsh measures, and couldupdate the functions and duties of the existing public agencies.A “Welsh Way” will emerge, and different from that in other 3 nations of UK. But AONBshave e been a great success story and there is no reason to think that they won’t be animportant part of the landscape in the future. I will finish with a look at some possible alternative scenarios, based on different political andeconomic trajectories. Neither are necessarily applicable to England or Wales and the best solutionmay be a combination of different approaches and economic tools. But they illustrate the increasinginfluence of political and ethical choices that are being made in Wales and England.The interpretation of these scenarios are my own opinions and do not represent the views of CCW

LIVING WALES

Welsh Labour in government will reassess the principles which underpin A Living Wales –our Natural Environment Framework. Inparticular Welsh Labour recognises that the environment:

• has an intrinsic value• is our life support system• is a finite source of raw materials and resources• is central to our quality of life, sense of place, health and wellbeing• underpins our economic development

WELSH LABOUR IS COMMITED TO:

• recognising and living within environmental limits, locally and globally• ensuring that all policies take the environment into account, in accordance with our statutory Sustainable Development duty• stimulating and enabling collaboration across the Welsh public sector• working with business and voluntary sector partners• encouraging individual citizens and communities to live in an environmentally sustainable way, and providing leadership by acting now for the future

Welsh Labour Programme for Government

OUR GUIDING AIM IS TO ENSURE THAT WALES HAS INCREASINGLYRESILIENT AND DIVERSE ECOSYSTEMS THAT DELIVER ECONOMIC,ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL BENEFITS, WITH

• a focus on the value of the environment as a whole, • opportunities for wider public involvement.• a positive approach for landowners, farmers, fisheries,

forestry, developers and regulated industries…• delivering positive environmental change, not just

conserving what we have • changes in the way we deliver policy, make decisions and

regulate the environment….• ensuring the public bodies, charged with protecting and

enhancing the environment are equipped to deliver the new approach

Welsh Government Statement 15th June 2011

cultural

services

Ecosystems or Landscapes?

National Ecosystem Assessment

Convention on Biological Diversity

“The ecosystem approach does not preclude other management and conservation approaches, such as … protected areas, and single-species conservation programmes, but could integrate all these approaches and other methodologies to deal with complex situations”

CCW view

Protected Areas will be managed for both

features and ecosystem services set in a

whole environment context and involving

adaptive management and ecosystem

restoration

Protected Areas

• 30% of Wales’ land is protected for it’s wildlife, scenic beauty or geological value

• 7/8 of the area of Natura 2000 sites are marine SACs

Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB extension

Report on CCW website -

Cambrian Mountains Initiative

Aims of Cambrian Mountains Initiative

Support the development of sustainable, rural communities within the area of the Cambrian Mountains:

Sustain the environment of the area

Work with communities, producers and tourism providers within the surrounding area of influence;

Ensure the future sustainability of Welsh family farms;

Achieve the highest standards of land management and animal welfare;

Provide the best Welsh welcome and a high quality of service to visitors to the area

Use an ecosystems approach to managing our natural capital

What of the future?

Some dilemmas, options and alternative scenarios…..

And some potential fault-lines between Wales and England

England White Paper

We will create new Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs) to enhance and reconnect nature on a significant scale, where the opportunities and benefits justify such action. Local partnerships will come together to form NIAs.

Through reforms of the planning system, we will take a strategic approach to planning for nature within and across local areas…. We will retain the protection and improvement of the natural environment as core objectives of the planning system.

We will establish a new, voluntary approach to biodiversity offsets and test our approach in pilot areas.

Land banking/biodiversity offsetting would

• be innovative and distinctive for the new Government in England• potentially create bigger areas than currently required under Section 106• reduce the regulatory burden on developers• compensate society for loss of environmental assets rather than seeking to

prevent it• risk being abused by legal manouvres and accountancy tricks

supporting the existing statutory requirements would

• be a recognition that development needs regulating under a legal framework • maintain the integrity of existing designated sites wherever possible• protect more rigorously protected species, habitats and landscapes• retain a key role for local authority staff and Country Agencies

Market Mechanisms or Regulation?

A conceptual framework based on science would

• emphasise the principles underpinning ecosystem function• recognise and address the drivers of ecological change• accept the evidence for environmental limits having been exceeded• focus on the supporting services such as soil formation, nutrient cycling• prioritise restoration of habitats and the reduction of negative impacts • invest in resilience to withstand climatic and other changes

Chosing economics as a starting point however leads us to

• emphasise the links between ecosystems and human wellbeing• accept the inevitability of ecological change• focus on the provisioning services such as food, timber and energy • prioritise creation of new economically valuable habitats or landscapes• discount the economic impact of climatic and other changes• propose technological solutions to overcoming natural limits

Science v. Economics

Spatial planning

• is a partnership approach with stakeholders agreeing “what goes where”• is participatory and democratic, but time-consuming• builds on community-led approaches to sustainable development• is resisted by planning professionals (in Wales at least!)

Economic Valuation

• is technocratic, with values being determined by experts• currently more robust for land-uses with tradeable products or services• proposed change in land-use may be resisted by residents and landowners • method of capitalising on the potential values still under-developed

Spatial Planning v. Economic Valuation

The Big Society

• is a big component of the England White Paper but resisted in Wales • civil society/voluntary sector is essential for local action and participation• tradition of strong community in Wales but also a heavy dependency on the

institutions of the state• Big Society may therefore depend on a Big State for funding, skills, resources

Strong role for state

• few people want to be actively involved in managing of public goods and services• people expect “the experts” to safeguard the environment on their behalf• legal responsibility for addressing many global challenges rests with the State• Welsh Government is small and realtively close to its citizens

Big Society, or the buck stops with Government?

Centralising

• moving powers from London to Cardiff is main agenda• Welsh Government, 12 years after devolution, is still sub-optimal• emphasis will be on Wales-wide approaches led by Government• Strong drive to achieve national or international goals on climate

etc.

Localising

• Participation enhanced, empowerment engendered and leadership encouraged

• Diversity of solutions emerge, tailored to local conditions and needs• Needs targets set by a higher authority for local choice and

determination

Centralisation or localisation

3 points to take away

• Many shared principles, frameworks and international standards

• Wales will set its own course according to its own politics and values

• We need to strengthen UK institutions like NAAONB