This is an aspirational plan which requires the combined effort and resources of a wide range of partners as well as a supportive national legal and policy framework. The National Landscape Partnership acknowledge that conserving and enhancing natural beauty is not a central remit for many of these partners but assert that investment in delivery has returns for the environment, the community and for sustainable businesses.

Over the next 5 years, the National Landscape Partnership will produce an annual business plan with a time horizon beyond the year of the plan to ensure multi-year activities are supported. This will be primarily for those resources within its direct control. However, where partners view the value of their work’s endorsement by inclusion within this annual plan, it will be welcomed.

The Partnership’s team will prioritise its core responsibilities:

Provision of high-quality advice on strategic planning, development management and agri-environment delivery.
Securing additional resources to implement programmes of delivery which meet the objectives of this plan, including green finance.
Promoting this plan, its vision and objectives to secure support for delivery.
Supporting critical partnerships and projects that help deliver this plan’s purposes.

In addition to its core roles, the National Landscape Partnership’s team will prioritise the following areas of project activity:

8.1.1. THEMATIC

Establishing an effective nature recovery network, including support for nature-friendly and regenerative forms of farming and forestry.
Supporting climate change adaptation and the journey towards net zero
Supporting activities which help a wide range people to connect with nature and the natural landscape, prioritising effort for those that face the most significant barriers.

8.1.2. AREA-BASED

A landscape-scale project conserving natural and cultural landscape heritage, extent to be determined after a robust development phase; the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Landscape Connections programme is a likely support mechanism.
Leading the catchment-based approach in the West Dorset Rivers and Coastal Streams catchment
Landscape enhancements across the Wild Purbeck Nature Improvement Area by convening and chairing its partnership, seeking Landscape Recovery funding and working towards a new National Nature Reserve declaration on the Purbeck Coast.
Visitor management and visitor experience enhancement across the Jurassic Coast and using that expertise to develop greater inland opportunities.

The Partnership will remain flexible enough to support, shape or lead relevant opportunities to deliver this policy framework where they arise.

It is important that the Partnership is aware of the effects of its work and the background trends in this landscape to be able to adapt management in terms of geographic targeting and thematic approaches. It is also important that the collective impact of the work of the National Landscape Family is reported to Government, in order to provide ministers with information to justify continuation of their support.

8.2.1. PROTECTED LANDSCAPE TARGETS AND OUTCOMES FRAMEWORK

Set by government in January 2024, these are key Environmental Improvement Plan targets “to motivate more activity [within protected landscapes] on the components needed to ensure wildlife can thrive”. These are targets for everyone engaged in activity in protected landscapes, not solely for the Protected Landscape organisations. Delivery towards achieving them is contingent on an adequate supply of resources to enable change. Resources for achieving these outcomes may be public funds (e.g. agri-environment schemes), private funds via novel green finance solutions, or incorporated into development schemes by statutory undertakers (e.g. habitat creation related to new water treatment infrastructure).

Thriving plants and wildlife:

Target 1: Restore or create more than 250,000 hectares of a range of wildlife-rich habitats within Protected Landscapes, outside protected sites by 2042 (from a 2022 baseline). In Dorset National Landscape this equates to 11,506 hectares
Target 2: Bring 80% of SSSIs within Protected Landscapes into favourable condition by 2042.
Target 3: For 60% of SSSIs within Protected Landscapes assessed as having ‘actions on track’ to achieve favourable condition by 31 January 2028.
Target 4: Continuing favourable management of all existing priority habitat already in favourable condition outside of SSSIs (from a 2022 baseline) and increasing to include all newly restored or created habitat through agri-environment schemes by 2042.
Target 5: Ensuring at least 65% to 80% of land managers adopt nature friendly farming on at least 10% to 15% of their land by 2030.

Mitigating and adapting to climate change:

Target 6: Reduce net greenhouse gas emissions in Protected Landscapes to net zero by 2050 relative to 1990 levels.
Target 7: Restore approximately 130,000 hectares of peat in Protected Landscapes by 2050.
Target 8: Increase tree canopy and woodland cover (combined) by 3% of total land area in Protected Landscapes by 2050 (from 2022 baseline). In Dorset National Landscape this equates to an additional 9,414 hectares. In support of these targets, the Dorset National Landscape Partnership will:
*a plan and begin delivering activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and work towards creating a Net Zero Roadmap.
* Create a Climate Change Adaptation Plan and an associated funnel of activities that begin to address the risks and opportunities from climate change.

Enhancing beauty, heritage and engagement with the natural environment targets:

Target 9 Improve and promote accessibility to and engagement with Protected Landscapes for all using existing metrics in our Access for All programme.
Target 10: Decrease the number of nationally designated heritage assets at risk in Protected Landscapes.

The Dorset National Landscape baseline is described in the State of the National Landscape report; movement towards achieving the outcomes will be reported annually using the national indicator dataset.

8.2.2. LOCAL INDICATORS

31 national statistical data sets, including five that directly contribute to the Government’s Environment Improvement Plan, are used to monitor progress. These are set out in the State of the Dorset National Landscape report. These data have been used to inform our Strategic Environmental Assessment, which accompanies this plan.

Dorset National Landscape Partnership Board

The National Landscape Partnership Board includes representation from:

Dorset Council
Council for the Protection of Rural England
Country Land and Business Association
Dorset Association of Parish & Town Councils
Dorset Coast Forum
Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership
Dorset Local Nature Partnership
Dorset Natural History & Archaeological Society
Dorset Race Equality Council
Dorset Wildlife Trust
Environment Agency
Forestry Commission
Historic England
National Farmers’ Union
Natural England
South West Coast Path Association
The National Trust

Map copyright

Maps in this document use data derived from Ordnance Survey

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