Conservation in the United Kingdom
This page gives an overview of the complex structure of environmental and cultural conservation in the United Kingdom.
With the advent of
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There follows a list of the legislation, conservation bodies (both governmental and otherwise), and conservation designations, which work together to conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the UK. A list of 'objects of conservation' provides further links.
Legislation
Some of the key legislation which governs conservation issues in the UK. This list is not exhaustive.
- Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979
- Badgers Act 1991
- Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
- Environment Act 1995
- Environmental Protection Act 1990
- Environment (Wales) Act 2016
- National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949
- Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006
- Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
- Protection of Badgers Act 1992
- Weeds Act 1959
- Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
Conservation bodies
Government departments
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
- Directorates of the Scottish Government: Environment and Forestry Directorate[1]
Governmental bodies
The following are
Executive Agencies
of the UK government and regional executives, with note on their areas of responsibility.
United Kingdom
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee — co-ordination of regional bodies
- Forestry Commission — co-ordinating international forestry policy support and certain plant health functions in respect of trees and forestry.[2]
England
- Historic England — cultural and built heritage.
- Natural England — nature and wildlife conservation, landscape protection.
- Environment Agency — waterways, pollution, waste management.
- Forestry England — Forestry management[3]
Scotland
The following are Public bodies of the Scottish Government, with notes on their areas of responsibility.
- Forestry and Land Scotland — forestry management[2]
- Historic Environment Scotland — cultural and built heritage
- NatureScot — landscape protection, wildlife conservation
- Scottish Canals — management of inland waterways
- Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) — waterways, pollution, waste management
- Scottish Forestry — forestry regulation and support[2]
Wales
- Cadw — cultural and built heritage
- Natural Resources Wales (NRW) (formerly Countryside Council for Wales, Forestry Commission Wales and Environment Agency Wales) — protection of landscapes and rural countryside, regulation of waterways, pollution, waste management
Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) — conservation of natural and built heritage
- Forest Service Northern Ireland
Non-governmental organisations
- Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland
- Botanical Society of the British Isles
- British Dragonfly Society
- British Trust for Ornithology
- British Waterfowl Association
- Buglife
- Butterfly Conservation
- The Canal & River Trust, formerly British Waterways
- Cam Valley Wildlife Group
- Civic Trust
- Civic Trust for Wales
- Boards of Conservators which have been established for specific areas.
- Council for British Archaeology
- Council for the Protection of Rural England(CPRE)
- Environment Wales
- Historic Houses Association
- Institute of Conservation
- John Muir Trust
- Marine Conservation Society
- National Gardens Scheme
- National Trust(England, Wales, Northern Ireland)
- National Trust for Scotland
- Norfolk Conservation Corps
- North East Civic Trust
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
- Scottish Civic Trust
- Scottish Forest Alliance
- Scottish Ornithologists' Club
- Scottish Wildlife Trust
- Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
- The Conservation Volunteers
- The Grasslands Trust
- Trinity House
- Ulster Wildlife Trust
- The Welsh Wildlife Trusts
- Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust(WWT)
- The Wildlife Trusts partnershiplinks to every county Wildlife Trust
- The Woodland Trust
- The Animal Project
Conservation designations
National parks
Areas designated by government agencies
The following designations are established or monitored by the executive agencies listed above.
Designation | Abbreviation | Country | Agency |
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty | AONB | England | Natural England |
Wales | NRW | ||
Northern Ireland | NIEA | ||
Environmentally sensitive area | ESA | England | Natural England |
Heritage coast | England | Natural England | |
Wales | NRW | ||
Marine nature reserve | MNR | ||
National nature reserve | NNR | England | Natural England |
Scotland | NatureScot | ||
Wales | NRW | ||
Northern Ireland | NIEA | ||
National scenic area | NSA | Scotland | NatureScot |
Nitrate vulnerable zone | NVZ | England | Environment Agency |
Scheduled monument | SAM | England | Historic England |
Scotland | Historic Environment Scotland | ||
Wales | Cadw | ||
Northern Ireland | NIEA | ||
Site of Special Scientific Interest | SSSI | England | Natural England |
Scotland | NatureScot | ||
Wales | NRW | ||
Northern Ireland | NIEA | ||
Special landscape area |
SLA | Wales | NRW |
Other United Kingdom conservation designations
- Area of archaeological importance (under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979)
- Area of archaeological potential
- Conservation area
- Country park
- planningpolicy rather than a conservation designation, but often interpreted as the latter)
- Listed building
- Local nature reserve
- Regional park
- Regionally important geological site
International conservation designations
- Biosphere reserves
- Ramsar sites
- Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
- Special Protection Area (SPA)
- SACs and SPAs are part of Natura 2000
- World Heritage Sites
Other United Kingdom conservation policies
Objects of conservation
United Kingdom
- Botanical gardens in the United Kingdom
- Chalk figures in the United Kingdom
- Forests in the United Kingdom
- Heritage railway
- List of abbeys and priories
- List of castles
- List of gardens
- List of historic houses
- Long-distance footpaths in the United Kingdom
- Piers
- Roman sites in the United Kingdom
- Watermills in the United Kingdom
- Waterways in the United Kingdom
- Windmills in the United Kingdom
England
- Abbeys and priories in England
- Castles in England
- Cycleways in England
- List of English Heritage properties
- Gardens in England
- Historic houses in England
- Lighthouses in England
- List of National Trust properties in England
- Treasure Houses of England
Scotland
- Abbeys and priories in Scotland
- Castles in Scotland
- Cycleways in Scotland
- Gardens in Scotland
- Historic houses in Scotland
- Lighthouses in Scotland
- National Trust for Scotland
Wales
- Abbeys and priories in Wales
- Castles in Wales
- Cycleways in Wales
- Gardens in Wales
- Historic houses in Wales
- Lighthouses in Wales
- List of Cadw properties
- List of National Trust properties in Wales
Northern Ireland
- Abbeys and priories in Northern Ireland
- Castles in Northern Ireland
- Cycleways in Northern Ireland
- Gardens in Northern Ireland
- Historic houses in Northern Ireland
- Lighthouses in Northern Ireland
- List of National Trust properties in Northern Ireland
See also
- Biodiversity Action Plan
- List of Conservation topics
- Conservation in Scotland
References
- ^ "Environment and Forestry Directorate". Scottish Government. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
- ^ a b c "Forestry devolution: resource list". Scottish Government. 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ Forestry England
Further reading
- Clapp, Brian William. An Environmental history of Britain since the industrial revolution (Routledge, 2014).
- Sheail, John. Rural Conservation in Inter-War Britain (1981) online
- Sheail, John. An Environmental History of Twentieth-Century Britain (Red Globe Press, 2002)
- Simmons, Ian G. An environmental history of Great Britain : from 10,000 years ago to the present (Edinburgh University Press), 2001.