Click here for the Welsh translationBest of Both Worlds
Many outdoor pursuits take place in sensitive areas where public access has to be managed in order to protect its natural or cultural heritage. Yet, recreation enthusiasts and conservationists share many of the same objectives:
- to enjoy the natural environment
- to appreciate our cultural heritage
- to expand their understanding of natural processes
- to protect and improve what they enjoy
What is Best of Both Worlds for?
This strategy helps increase opportunities for outdoor sports and recreation, whilst enhancing the enjoyment, appreciation and protection of the sensitive environments in which they take place. We hope to show that the Best of Both Worlds concept works! Click here to go to Best of Both Worlds Successes.
Who is Best of Both Worlds for?
Anyone who:
- enjoys countryside recreation and wants to know more about the areas they visit
- is concerned about restrictions to access on conservation grounds
- is planning, or thinking of planning, an event in any sensitive area
- has to manage land and water and make decisions about recreational activities on it, such as conservation officers, site managers, farmers and foresters.
The information applies primarily to England and Wales, but many of the concepts can be applied anywhere. The good practice is relevant to situations whether or not the landowner's permission is needed (the range of access situations is described in Types of Access). Click here to go to Types of Access.
The Best of Both Worlds idea is underpinned by its Guiding Principles which it is hoped will be a starting point for everyone involved. These principles are validated by the organisations listed in the signatories document below.
Best of Both Worlds - A brief history
In 2002, Doug Kennedy completed an M.Sc dissertation entitled Conflict resolution and decision making for allowing access to conservation-sensitive open countryside to active leisure pursuits on foot. He was concerned at a growing feeling among national governing bodies responsible for outdoor sports that the existence and protection of conservation areas, such as SSSIs were a major threat to their activities. He consulted with people from the interested bodies who agreed with his contention that actually this growing tension could be eased by a meeting of minds. A seminar entitled Sporting access and Conservation was organised by the CCPR in June 2003 with senior speakers from The Countryside Agency, Environment Agency, CCW, English Nature, CCPR, motor sports and RSPB. A large measure of consensus was found in that the problem was not severe but persistent, and the interests of outdoor sport and conservation had a great deal in common, but both sides needed to communicate more effectively and understand each other better.
As a result, The Best of Both Worlds Working Group was established with the aim of Increasing opportunities for responsible outdoor recreation in the countryside, on water and in the air in ways which respect the environment, through the sharing of knowledge, skills and experience. (The name was suggested by Tim Stevens, the motor sport representative who was a leading member of the Group at this time.) This group was unofficial, meeting on an ad-hoc basis over the next two years, but it served to open direct communications between senior people on both sides of the debate and work towards a detailed consensus. This came in the form of a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) which was circulated widely for feedback.
The group went on to work on how to make its work available to sports clubs, conservation officers and land managers. Distributing the BoBW MoU as a single page document and getting people to sign up to its principles was discussed, but the conclusion was that it would be better if it was published as a web page as it would have more impact and could then be developed without printing and distributing new versions.
As this idea developed, it became apparent that there was an opportunity to publish a lot more than the basic principles, and that research, case studies and other work on good practice could be incorporated. These ideas were presented at seminars and meetings, including the National Access Forum, CCPR, Countryside Recreation Network and further consultation with stakeholders was carried out. The responses were very positive, and as a result, funding was procured, led by The Countryside Agency which enabled us to employ the services of Asken Ltd to design the website and prepare the material. In 2005 The Working Group was also enlarged to include land management bodies and work started on creating the first BoBW web site.
An enormous effort, mainly by Ken Taylor of Asken, over several months resulted in a draft document which was the basis of the web site and this was discussed widely among the interested parties before being given to web developers. The BoBW website was launched formally at The Countryside Show at Birmingham in March 2006. Use of the site increased steadily during the year and feedback prompted some corrections and improvements.
The Working Group continued to develop the site and was able to incorporate some substantial pieces of work on access and conservation by Joe Roberts of CCW and others, and gradually added to the case study material.
In 2007 the Group decided to broaden the scope of BoBW to include heritage and landscape, and the National Trust joined the Core Group, providing invaluable material and expertise. Initiatives to make the site more useful for education were developed, and a new version was launched towards the end of 2008.
The BoBW project has probably achieved its main objective of improving communications and understanding between outdoor recreationalists and conservation bodies and officers. The unreasonable denial of access to conservation areas is far less of an issue at CCPR meetings and the cynicism that existed before has largely gone. The approach taken by conservationists within English Nature, now Natural England, and CCW has changed with the Precautionary Principle being replaced by a more positive attitude to access combined with serious attempts to understand the real opportunities and threats presented by recreational access to sensitive areas.
The problem was never very severe, but was more of a niggle within the realm of countryside recreation that was limiting opportunities on both sides. Thus use of BoBW is not expected to ever become very heavy, but rather a steady trickle, providing some oil to keep things running more smoothly. Current efforts of the Working Group are focused on increasing use of the site, largely through improving internet search engine listings.
BoBW has got this far on very little money, depending on individuals within the participating bodies making time available from their busy working lives to push it forwards and on the voluntary time of the Chairman (Doug Kennedy) and many people within the outdoor recreation world. Agency resources and funding are looking much less certain henceforth as Government budget cuts begin to bite following the current recession so this is likely to present us with the next big challenge.
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