The Countryside Council for Wales (CCW)
Cyngor Cefn Gwlad Cymru
 |
Cyngor Cefn Gwlad Cymru (CCW) Maes Ffynnon Ffordd Penrhos Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2LQ United Kingdom Tel. +44 1248 385655 Fax +44 1248 385511 enquiries@ccw.gov.uk www.ccw.gov.uk |
Current and Future Activities
Present Priority Fields
- Sustainable Living: this is an overarching theme, focusing on the environment as a sustainable resource, contributing to a better, stronger economy and a healthier population;
- Raising Quality:
safeguarding and improving the quality of the natural heritage across the whole
of
- Enabling Others: developing policies, guidance and mechanisms with partners to manage environment in a sustainable manner, including developing their capacity to deliver shared objectives;
- Improving Accessibility: connecting people with nature, through educational work and by making information about, and physical access to the Welsh natural heritage more available;
- Understanding Change: knowing the state of the Welsh natural heritage, its role (including perceptions of its role) in the social and economic well-being, and using this to drive the CCW’s work.
Future Priority Fields
- Achieve a 10% increase in the number of environmentally dependent jobs by 2010;
- Begin delivery of a ‘Social Justice’ action plan to meet the environmental needs of socially excluded communities in 2006;
- Achieve Green Dragon level 5 ‘green’ standard by 2005;
- Increase the area of the most important habitats by 20,000 hectares by 2013;
- Ensure that at least 90% of the special features within geological SSSIs are in good condition by 2013;
- Ensure that Management Plans are in place for all AONB and National Parks by 2006;
- Develop further the Tir Gofal agri-environment scheme, and aim for 50% of farmland to be entered into Tir Gofal or other agri-environment schemes by 2010;
- Help develop a national (Wales) strategy for integrated coastal zone management by 2007;
- Begin to deliver a landscape-scale integrated land-use project in 2005, focusing on diffuse pollution and community involvement;
- Publish conclusive maps of open country and common land by 2005, and then develop similar access opportunities for open coastal land;
- The 15 most suitable of the National Nature Reserves will have appropriate visitor facilities and interpretation by 2010;
- Ensure that 80% of visitors to the countryside are aware of the new Country Code, to be published in 2004, by 2013;
- Make all relevant corporate data available on the National Biodiversity Network by 2007;
- Establish the first phase of a series of reference sites providing information on what is happening to the environment, including evidence of climate change, by 2006;
- Include measures of the quality of life of people living in Wales in the environmental reporting by 2007.
Background and Mission
Background
The CCW was established in 1991 (but its predecessor bodies the Nature Conservancy, dates from 1949, the Nature Conservancy Council from 1973, and the Countryside Commission from 1968).
Mission
The CCW is the statutory adviser to government on sustaining natural beauty, wildlife and the opportunity for outdoor enjoyment throughout Wales and its inshore waters. With Natural England and Scottish Natural Heritage, CCW delivers its statutory responsibilities for Great Britain as a whole, and internationally, through the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. The CCW has been asked by the Welsh Assembly Government to promote sustainable development actively.
The overall aim of CCW's work is to help the process of sustainable development in Wales to ensure that human activity does not harm the impressive natural environment.
The CCW's job is to ensure that sustainable economic development proceeds hand in hand with the conservation of the precious natural heritage. That means the Welsh cherished landscapes, wildlife and the habitats on which plants and animals depend both on land and within the sea around the coast, and the geological part of the natural heritage, the rocks and land features which determine the way Wales looks. The CCW is also responsible for providing more opportunities for the people of Wales and for visitors to get into the countryside, both to gain pleasure from it, healthy exercise and a greater understanding of it so that its value can be sustained for the future.
The CCW's vision is for a Welsh countryside and coast which are:
- rich in wildlife and landscapes sustained through care for future generations;
- appropriately protected, enhanced and made accessible to all through partnerships;
- places people can learn from and enjoy.
The CCW advises the National Assembly of Wales (the senior elected tier of administration in Wales) on wildlife and landscape conservation, and on encouraging better access to the countryside and coast. It has a large number of statutory duties and responsibilities to fulfill under various Acts of Parliament. The CCW has powers to give grants for a variety of purposes, and it has duties in relation to National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Trails.
Board Members
The CCW has 12 Board Members
with different backgrounds who are responsible, individually and collectively,
to the National Assembly for
| Chairman John Lloyd Jones |
Former Chairman of the National Farmers Union, (NFU) in Wales |
| Members Dr. Kevin Bishop |
Head of Environment and Regeneration in the Welsh Local Government Association |
| Dr Dyfed Elis-Gruffydd | Author of numerous Welsh articles and essays dealing primarily with geological and geomorphological subjects. |
| Dr. Graeme Harris | Self-employed fisheries and resource management consultant |
| Richard Jarvis | Former Director of Planning and Development Flintshire County Council |
| Dr. Ieuan Joyce | Member of the Upland Forum Farmer in Ceredigion and Herefordshire |
| W P O'Reilly | Self employed broadcaster, writer and publisher |
| Robin Pratt | Farmer |
| Bryan Riddlestone | Chairman of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, (RSPB), Wales Committee |
| Dei Tomos | Broadcaster |
| Alan Underwood | Management consultant |
| Rod Williams | Vice Chair of Governors at Llysfasi College, Ruthin.. |
Staff Members
The CCW has a secretariat with around 600 staff, which partly work at the headquarters and are partly based in local area teams. Roger Thomas is the Director.
Work Style
Tasks of the CCW
The CCW although accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, is an independent body, and can choose what advice it wishes to give to the National Assembly and others.
CCW produces a formal Annual Report for the National Assembly for Wales, detailing CCW’s activities over a year. It also produces on an annual basis, "The Year Ahead", which details its work programme for the forthcoming year. It has produced with the Forestry Commission a State of the Environment Report, "A Living Environment", which will be updated on a regular basis.
Substructure and Working Groups
The CCW as an organisation is divided into three Directorates: Operations Directorate (Terrestrial Science; Marine Science; Environmental Monitoring; Operational Support) Policy Directorate (Resources Management; Recreation and Access; External Relations); Corporate Services Directorate (Personnel; Finance; Resource Planning and Efficiency). It also has 3 Regional Teams (North Wales; West & South-West Wales; East & South East Wales).
CCW Meetings
The CCW meets 6 times a year.
Type of Advice
The CCW picks the issues if focuses on both by own initiative and upon request.
The CCW produces a Corporate Plan (annual); an Annual Report; a State of the Environment Report (every 4 years); various scientific and policy advice as and when needed.
Activities in the EEAC Network
The CCW was involved in the early years of the network and became member when membership was introduced in 1997.
It is an observer to the Working Groups Agriculture, Governance and Sustainable Development.
List of Publications Available in English
It produces a number of other reports detailing its policies, and its guidance and advice. Reports and Research material are available on CCW’s website, www.ccw.gov.uk/.
- ‘Wildlife Economy Wales’: An Economic Evaluation Scoping Study, (May 2007);
- State of the marine environment in SW Wales, 10 years after the Sea Empress oil spill, (February 2006);
- Potential Nature Conservation and Landscape Impacts of Marine Energy Renewable Developments in Welsh Territorial Waters - Part I and Part II(May 2005);
- Strategic Environmental Assessment and Climate Change: Guidance for Practitioners, (May 2004)
Copyright © 2000-2007 by European
Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils, Den Haag. All Rights Reserved.
Last update: 26 September 2007