8. Case studies 1: Wild Britain

1. 8. Case studies 1:Wild Britain Lecture outline: • The Cairngorms • Plynlimon • North Pennines • Workshop: Guest Lecture – Toby Aykroyd on “Wild Britain” GEOG3320 – Management of Wilderness Environments

2. 1. Introduction • Where is wild Britain? • Eye-balling the blank bits! • Systematic mapping • Wilderness criteria? • Remoteness from settlement/access • Naturalness of landscape/ecosystem • Using GIS and spatial analysis • Wilderness Continuum Concept • Multi-scale, multi-criteria evaluation GEOG3320 – Management of Wilderness Environments

3. Protecting what’s left • Maps show significant patches of remaining wild land • the Cairngorm in Scotland • Plynlimon in Wales • North Pennines in England • Protected area status • National Parks, AONB, NNR, etc. • some unprotected wild areas • target areas for protection • target areas for re-wilding GEOG3320 – Management of Wilderness Environments

4. 2. The Cairngorms • High mountain plateau area • deeply dissected granite upland • heavily glaciated troughs and corries • highest area of land above 4000’ in Britain GEOG3320 – Management of Wilderness Environments

5. 2. The Cairngorms (cont’d) • Management issues: • conservation of natural landscape • NNR and new National Park status • SSSI, SAC and SPA status • traditional economy • stalking and sport fishing • sheep and forestry • recreation/tourism economy • skiing • mountaineering • sight-seeing • threats • 4WD access tracks • renewable energy developments GEOG3320 – Management of Wilderness Environments

6. 3. Plynlimon • Cambrian Mountains • “The Green Desert of Wales” • wild and unpopulated uplands between Snowdonia and Brecon Beacons NPs • rural depopulation GEOG3320 – Management of Wilderness Environments

7. 3. Plynlimon (cont’d) • Management issues: • 1973 failed national park proposal • unprotected status • threats from piecemeal development • e.g. renewable energy • Recent calls for AONB status • Cefn Croes wind farm • northern part of Plynlimon • 39 328ft wind turbines GEOG3320 – Management of Wilderness Environments

8. 4. North Pennines • North Pennines AONB “a national asset, something which we have a duty to conserve and enhance for present and future generations” • Designated area: • Britain’s 1st European GeoPark • multiple wildlife/conservation designations • part of Natura2000 network • Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) - support rare, endangered or vulnerable natural habitats and species of plants or animals (other than birds) • Special Protection Areas (SPA) - support significant numbers of wild birds and their habitats GEOG3320 – Management of Wilderness Environments

9. 4. North Pennines (cont’d) • Established in 1988 • almost 2000 square kilometres between the National Parks of the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland • second largest of the 41 AONBs • “one of the most remote and unspoilt places in England …truly remote, wild countryside and it is precisely this sense of wildness and remoteness which imbues much of the area with its character. There are few places in England where you can walk all day without crossing a road, but it is still possible here, such as in the south west of the AONB on the wild moorland plateau and summits between Hartside and Stainmore Common” (NPAONB, 2004) GEOG3320 – Management of Wilderness Environments

10. 4. North Pennines (cont’d) • Management issues: • piecemeal erosion of rural character • need for robust policies and clear action in conserving landscape quality while promoting rural development • policy guidelines aimed at: • the conservation and enhancement of the landscape, its wildlife and its cultural heritage • need for high quality baseline information on the spatial patterns of landscape quality that can be used to inform, develop and implement the policies through practical management actions. GEOG3320 – Management of Wilderness Environments

11. Reading Taylor, P. (2005) Beyond Conservation: a wildland strategy. Chapters 2,3 & 5 GEOG3320 – Management of Wilderness Environments

12. Workshop Guest lecture: Toby Aykroyd on “Wild Britain” GEOG3320 – Management of Wilderness Environments

13. Task • Online wilderness mapping: • http://www.ccg.leeds.ac.uk/teaching/wilderness • http://www.ccg.leeds.ac.uk/projects/wildscotland/ GEOG3320 – Management of Wilderness Environments

14. Next week... 9. Case studies 2: Re-wilding the uplands • Moor Trees • Carrifran Wildwood • Wild Ennerdale • Workshop: guest lecture – Alan Watson Featherstone on “Trees for Life” GEOG3320 – Management of Wilderness Environments