Natural Resources Wales begins work on Recreation Strategy for NRW managed land

Natural Resources Wales has begun its work on a Recreation Strategy which aims to set a strategic direction for recreation on the NRW Estate, while relaying to the public what it (NRW) does, and how it does it. 

The Countryside Alliance is the only organisation actively engaging in scoping opportunities that promote country pursuits such as trail hunting, recreational shooting, and angling, all of which have been heavily promoted by the Director for Wales, Rachel Evans, at the various workshops that have been held to date. Activities such as mountain biking, canoeing and other “adrenalin sports” would likely dominate discussions if the Alliance was not present. 

The country pursuits sector has been omitted from various outdoor recreation surveys undertaken on behalf of Welsh Government and other bodies, thus missing a considerable chunk of data on the benefits to health and well-being, the economy and conservation. Missing data inevitably has meant missed opportunities for the countryside and the people of Wales, which will now come to light as part of the Alliance’s involvement. 

The strategy is currently sitting at Phase two of the very detailed piece of work which includes stakeholder engagement from organisations and representative bodies. A survey has been distributed to a number of organisations and a follow-up is expected in phase four, seeking the views of our members and supporters, sometime in early 2024. 

NRW directly manages 107,694 hectares of open access land, 1,939km of Public Rights of Way, 102km of purpose-built horse trails, 50 dedicated mountain biking trails, 10 picnic areas and 5 visitor centres. The strategy will focus on the land under the care of NRW where it is best placed to make a difference using resources, and can evolve how NRW works in partnership with others to bring in change and drive positive outcomes. It will support decision making and have particular focus on improving inclusive access, providing resilient infrastructure, promoting responsible behaviour and protecting the natural environment.

Meanwhile, Welsh Governments’ Programme for Government makes a commitment to begin designation of Wales’ inland waters for recreation and strengthening water quality monitoring. It claims that the main driver of the commitment is to improve inland water quality in Wales, replicating the success of coastal bathing waters. A landowner survey has been created by Government officials and will be distributed to Countryside Alliance members once it is ready. We expect this to be towards the end of the year.