If you’ve noticed National Landscapes being mentioned and wonder what they are, you’re not alone. It was easy to miss the press releases late last year in the panic of Christmas shopping and other general end-of-year chaos. But now the logos are popping up and it is time to bid farewell to our Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Welcome, National Landscapes!
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
British Food and Travel has taken a look at some of the UK’s Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) in the past. The British government created the designation in 1949’s National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act. Wales’ Gower Peninsula became the first named AONB in 1956 with other regions earning the title in later years. Eventually, there were a total of 46 AONBs, including 33 in England, four in Wales, eight in Northern Ireland, and one on the England-Wales border. In recent years, there have been growing fears about how to protect these landscapes from such threats as urban sprawl, new housing developments, and road construction. A 2019 study suggested that AONBs be rebranded in a manner that reflected their significance to the British Isles.
National Landscapes
The rebranding of AONBs as National Landscapes is intended to further strengthen protections for the regions. It may also open up new sources of funding.
The National Landscapes Association (NLA) calls the change “a significant milestone for the UK”. Here’s what various organizations have to say about the announcement:
The new name reflects their national importance: the vital contribution they make to protect the nation from the threats of climate change, nature depletion and the wellbeing crisis, whilst also creating greater understanding and awareness for the work that they do.
National Landscapes Association
For decades the AONBs have helped protect the beauty of our finest landscapes. Today though we need so much more from these wonderful places, helping us adapt to climate change, catching carbon, restoring depleted wildlife and encouraging more people outside, at the same time as producing food, sustaining local communities and enhancing historic environments…. Uniting the National Landscapes in this way is very welcome and spells immense opportunity and great hope for the future.
Tony Juniper, Chair, Natural England
We welcome this move to reflect the significance of the designation in the new name, supporting our work to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area and connecting people with nature. However, National Landscapes are more than new names and new logos for places – our mission is for greater collaborative effort for people, place, climate and nature in these protected areas, and that will partly require Government to deliver on the promise of the Landscapes Review from 2019, from where this rebranding proposal stems.
Chris Woodley-Stewart, Director, North Pennines National Landscape
We are delighted to have played a leading role in this significant move forward for the national landscape family, which will offer us all a number of clear benefits. Those include building a strong and distinctive brand across national landscapes, widening the welcome and continuing to improve inclusivity and accessibility, and building on the success of our already strong network. In the Cotswolds, we adopted the National Landscape name in 2020, and our legal designation as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty remains, and today we are excited to now also adopt a refreshed logo and brand alongside the rest of the national landscapes family.
Andy Parsons, Chief Executive, Cotswolds National Landscape
To learn more about the National Landscapes, visit their individual sites, which you can access here.