Should the proposed planning and designation regime changes being considered in Wales actually go ahead, the national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) in Wales risk forfeiting their status as internationally recognised protected areas.
Three months ago, the Welsh administration published the "Future Landscapes" report which was the result of a review into AONBs and National Parks in Wales. The proposals in the report aim to set the designated landscapes on a path to drive the sustainable management of natural resources.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas has voiced concerns that the report "diluted a key element of an earlier review carried out, that stressed the primacy of the conservation purposes underpinning the landscape designations."
The panel was unhappy with references to the national parks and AONBs as "catalysts for regional development in rural areas" and concluded that:
"If acted upon, the recommendations in the Future Landscapes report would make it impossible for the panel to continue to accord international recognition to Wales's national parks and AONBs as protected areas."
A Welsh Government spokesperson has said they will consider the comments made by the UK Assessment Panel of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas.
