The main thrust of a new five-year plan is to see that ‘nature-friendly’ farming businesses are supported across the Yorkshire Dales National Park, with the claim that hill farmers are now more important than ever.
That’s revealed in the newly-published draft set of objectives for the Yorkshire Dales National Park Management Plan 2025-2030.
People and organisations are invited to have their say on it during a seven-week period of public consultation; there is a survey for members of the public and a separate survey for organisations.
The management plan is said to be the most important policy document for the National Park. It is being put together by a partnership made up of 15 local organisations, including representatives of business interests. The draft has been sent to more than 200 organisations that operate in the National Park.
The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is named as the potential lead organisation responsible for achieving 13 of the 40 objectives in the plan, with organisations such as Westmorland & Furness and North Yorkshire Councils, Natural England, the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission leading on other objectives.
David Sharrod of Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, who is the Chair of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Management Plan Partnership, said: “Supporting hill farming has been a long-standing priority for us but it’s more important now than ever. We need nature-friendly farming businesses to thrive in the National Park. That is critical for maximising the benefits that the National Park can provide for the nation, whether that is helping nature to recover, storing more carbon in our landscapes, reducing flooding downstream or producing fantastic quality food. Such farming will need support to be viable, and that’s what the partnership is planning to provide.
“People familiar with previous Yorkshire Dales National Park Management Plans will recognise that some objectives have been updated and carried over, such as on broadening access to the National Park by the public and retaining dark skies at night. And yet some objectives are strikingly new and ambitious. For example, creating over 5,000 hectares of new wildlife-rich habitats; creating or restoring 60km of hedgerows, and supporting farmers to adapt to the challenges of climate change. Another new objective seeks to help tackle health inequalities in society and make the National Park a place of healing for more people.
“The proposed objectives have been shaped by national government policy, local organisations and public opinion – as well as by evidence on the state of nature and the local economy. The seven-week consultation is an opportunity to influence the final detail. I would warmly invite anyone with an interest in the future of this special place to examine the proposals, and have their say.”
