In certain areas of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Conservators are statutory bodies which manage areas of countryside for the use of the public.

Establishment, Role and Powers

Conservators are bodies corporate generally established, and granted their powers, by a Scheme made under the

Commons Act 1876 The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable Earth. These resources are held in common even when owned privately or publicly. Commons ...

or by a local Act of Parliament.See individual Conservators' websites below, but for example the River Cam Conservancy Act 1922, th
Ashdown Forest Act 1974
or th
County of Kent Act 1981
The exact role and powers of each group of Conservators are defined by their establishing Act and vary, but in general terms their role is to: * regulate and manage their area for public recreation, * protect the rights of

commoners A commoner, also known as the ''common man'', ''commoners'', the ''common people'' or the ''masses'', was in earlier use an ordinary person in a community or nation who did not have any significant social status, especially a member of neither ...

(if applicable) and * conserve the natural beauty of their area. Conservators often have the power to manage the land, and the trees, plants and animals on it, to provide recreation facilities, to control activity within their area, regulate navigation on waterways and to make

byelaws A by-law (bye-law, by(e)law, by(e) law), or as it is most commonly known in the United States bylaws, is a set of rules or law established by an organization or community so as to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authorit ...

Membership

Membership of Boards of Conservators varies according to the terms of the individual legislation that established them. Examples of types of member include those: * elected by commoners or local residents * appointed by local councils * appointed by Universities * appointed by the

Lord of the Manor Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...

Future

The

Commons Act 2006 The Commons Act 2006 (c 26) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It implements recommendations contained in the Common Land Policy Statement 2002. The Act sets out the provision for designation of town or village greens. Part 1 S ...

provided for the establishment of Commons Councils to manage common land. Those provisions of the Act are not yet in force, but the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) plans to bring them into force in the spring of 2009. The Commons Councils established under the Act will have a similar role to that of existing Conservators. According to DEFRA's website, Commons Councils will only be established where there is a local wish and will not be imposed. Where a Commons Council is established, the Act provides powers for DEFRA to alter or remove existing management arrangements (which could include Conservators) where they might conflict with the functions granted to a new Commons Council.How is Common Land managed?
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Examples of Conservators

* Conservators of

Ashdown Forest Ashdown Forest is an ancient area of open heathland occupying the highest sandy ridge-top of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is situated some south of London in the county of East Sussex, England. Rising to an elevation o ...

Conservators of Ashdown Forest
*

Malvern Hills Conservators The Malvern Hills Conservators are a body corporate responsible for the care and management of the Malvern Hills and Commons. They were established in 1884 and are governed by five Acts of Parliament, the Malvern Hills Acts 1884, 1909, 1924, 19 ...

Conservators of the River Cam The Conservators of the River Cam are the navigation authority for the River Cam in Cambridgeshire and were founded in 1702. History Cambridge had been a major inland port as a result of its position on the navigable River Cam for centuries, b ...

Conservators of the River Cam
/ref> * Banstead Commons Conservators *

Wimbledon and Putney Commons Wimbledon Common is a large open space in Wimbledon, southwest London. There are three named areas: Wimbledon Common, Putney Heath, and Putney Lower Common, which together are managed under the name Wimbledon and Putney Commons totalling 46 ...

Conservators * Tumbridge Wells Commons ConservatorsTunbridge Wells Commons Conservators
/ref> *

Mitcham Common Mitcham Common is 182 hectares (460 acres) of common land situated in south London. It is predominantly in the London borough of Merton, with parts straddling the borders of Croydon and Sutton. It is designated a Site of Metropolita ...

Conservators * Shenfield Common Conservators * Epsom and Walton Downs Conservators *

Mousehold Heath Mousehold Heath is a freely accessible area of heathland and woodland which lies to the north-east of the medieval city boundary of Norwich, in eastern England. The name also refers to the much larger area of open heath that once extended f ...

Conservators * Conservators of

Therfield Heath Therfield Heath is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and Local Nature Reserve on the chalk escarpment just north of Therfield, Hertfordshire; since it lies south-west of the town of Royston, Hertfordshire, Royston it is also known l ...

and Greens *

Oxshott Heath Oxshott Heath and Woods is an area of woods and heathland in Oxshott, Surrey, England covering approximately , as an area of common land. It is owned by a local authority, however historic rights of access and gathering dead wood where necessary ...

Conservators *

Chislehurst Chislehurst () is a suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater L ...

and

St Paul's Cray St Paul's Cray is an area of South East Greater London, London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley in Greater London. Prior to 1965 it was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent. It is located south of Sidcu ...

Commons Conservators * The

Common Council of the City of London The Court of Common Council is the primary decision-making body of the City of London Corporation. It meets nine times per year. Most of its work is carried out by committees. Elections are held at least every four years. It is largely composed o ...

is the Conservator of

Epping Forest Epping Forest is a area of ancient woodland, and other established habitats, which straddles the border between Greater London and Essex. The main body of the forest stretches from Epping in the north, to Chingford on the edge of the London ...

Cleeve Common Cleeve Common () is a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, England, notified in 1974. It is looked after by a small charity called Cleeve Common Trust, formally Cleeve Common Board of Conservators. ...

Board of Conservators

Similar bodies

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous ...

Commoners' CouncilDartmoor Commoners' Council
/ref> * Greenham and Crookham Commons Commissioners

Notes

{{Reflist Conservation in the United Kingdom Conservation in England English coast and countryside Environmental organisations based in the United Kingdom