The Countryside Council for Wales (CCW; cy, Cyngor Cefn Gwlad Cymru (CCGC)) was a Welsh Assembly sponsored body responsible for

wildlife conservation Wildlife conservation refers to the practice of protecting wild species and their habitats in order to maintain healthy wildlife species or populations and to restore, protect or enhance natural ecosystems. Major threats to wildlife include habita ...

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

and countryside access authority for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. It was merged with

Forestry Commission Wales Natural Resources Wales ( cy, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru) is a Welsh Government sponsored body, which became operational from 1 April 2013, when it took over the management of the natural resources of Wales. It was formed from a merger of the Count ...

, and

Environment Agency Wales Environment Agency Wales () was a Welsh Government sponsored body that was part of the Environment Agency of England and Wales from 1996 to 2013. Its principal aims were to protect and improve the environment in Wales and to promote sustainable ...

to form

Natural Resources Wales Natural Resources Wales ( cy, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru) is a Welsh Government sponsored body, which became operational from 1 April 2013, when it took over the management of the natural resources of Wales. It was formed from a merger of the Coun ...

, a single body managing Wales' environment and natural resources, on 1 April 2013. As a statutory advisory and prosecuting body, the Countryside Council for Wales 'championed the environment and landscapes of Wales and its coastal waters as sources of natural and cultural riches, as a foundation for economic and social activity, and as a place for leisure and learning opportunities'. It aimed to 'make the environment a valued part of everyone's life in

'. The Council of CCW consisted of a Chairman and a maximum of ten members. They were appointed by the Welsh Government which also provided CCW's annual budget. The Council gave direction to the around 500 staff. CCW's headquarters was in Bangor, Gwynedd,

North Wales , area_land_km2 = 6,172 , postal_code_type = Postcode , postal_code = LL, CH, SY , image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg , map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...

, with other offices across Wales.

CCW activities

''Advice'' CCW gave advice to government on a wide range of matters affecting the countryside. This included threats to the environment, the impacts of developments and changes in

land use Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as settlements and semi-natural habitats such as arable fields, pastures, and managed woods. Land use by humans has a long h ...

, international environmental matters and new legislation. CCW also advised on the declaration of marine nature reserves, land for protection under European Union Directives and other international obligations, and land designated by local authorities such as Heritage Coasts and Local Nature Reserves. ;Establishing protected areas As well as advising government and local authorities on land which should be protected, CCW was able to designate several categories of land to protect and conserve wildlife or landscape. These include national nature reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest as well as national parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. National trails were mapped out and negotiated in the first instance by CCW. Though protected areas represent the most special parts of the Welsh environment, CCW's conservation responsibilities transcended these boundaries and covered the whole of Wales. Wales has 70 national nature reserves, three

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

s, five

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of thei ...

(AONBs), and

Sites of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

cover around 12% of Wales. About 70% of the Welsh coastline is protected. Through discussions and management agreements CCW attempted to ensure that the wildlife value of SSSIs, most of which are privately owned and occupied, was retained and enhanced. ;Protecting rare species Rare and threatened animals and plants are protected by law so that they are not disturbed or destroyed though there is occasionally a justifiable need to disturb these species. In these cases CCW advised and issued licences for individuals and organisations including for example, photographers and research scientists. ;Promoting everyone's enjoyment of the countryside Part of CCW's remit was to improve opportunities for people to enjoy the countryside. By working closely with local authorities and other organisations, improvements were made to the system of public paths. CCW also worked to establish a

Wales Coast Path The Wales Coast Path ( cy, Llwybr Arfordir Cymru) is a designated long-distance trail which follows, or runs close to, the coastline of Wales. Launched in 2012, the footpath is long and was heralded as the first dedicated coast path in the wor ...

which was officially launched in May 2012. ;Health and well-being ;Working with others CCW worked with others on joint projects, local government being one of the closest partners. Other partnership projects ranged from joint educational activities to major engineering projects to regulate water levels on

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

s. Many projects were funded by CCW grants, enabling others to use their special skills and understanding of local communities to carry out environmental tasks on their behalf. ;Research and survey

CCW and the rest of the UK

CCW was one of a network of government-funded bodies that perform comparable duties throughout the UK, now carried forward in Wales by Natural Resources Wales. These other bodies are: *

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

(England) *

NatureScot NatureScot ( gd, NàdarAlba), which was formerly known as Scottish Natural Heritage, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for the country's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and ...

(

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

) *

Environment and Heritage Service The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) is an executive agency within the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). It is responsible for conservation of Northern Ireland's environment and natural heritage. Ori ...

(

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

) The Joint Nature Conservation Committee co-ordinates nature conservation work on a UK and international level.

References

External links

Countryside Council for Wales'The Welsh View' - CCW blog'Ein Golygfa' - Blog CCGCNatural Resources Wales
{{Authority control Welsh Government sponsored bodies Environmental organisations based in Wales 1990 establishments in Wales 2013 disestablishments in Wales Government agencies established in 1990 Government agencies disestablished in 2013

CCW activities

CCW and the rest of the UK

See also

References

External links