National Landscape Citizens Panel
David Tomlinson
Introduction
Earlier this year I received an email invitation to apply to be part of the process in developing the 2025-2030 Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB Management Plan. A short online questionnaire later I was fortunate to be selected to sit on what was being called a ‘Citizens Panel’.
This approach, using a Citizens Panel, had never been tried before by the National Landscape team and the selection of the panel focussed on people who thought positively of the need for an AONB and had ideas as to how it should be developed.
The final selected panel comprised of a diverse group of people whose demographics reflected as much as possible people from the communities within and around the National Landscape.
Weekend Conference
A few short weeks later we were invited to a two-day conference in Ruthin with an aim to highlight to the Management Team how we viewed the current developments within the National Landscape and how we felt we should steer the activity over the next five years.
We were asked to focus our thoughts and discussions around three areas:
- Nature Recovery
- Community and Culture
- Access and Recreation
And the format would be to have information presented to us from a subject matter expert and then for us to have the time for questions and then time to formulate and document our thoughts.
The first session of the day focussed on Nature Recovery and we were asked to consider whether the projects we were undertaking at the moment were bringing about the changes we needed and whether we should not think far more expansively as we were not really keeping pace with the changes being made to the environment through climate, development and general rural change. It was highlighted that we were already seeing a 6th mass extinction event and that aspirational change in our management processes was needed if were really going to make the required difference.
As a first session this was quite a shock to the system and really made us realise that we had signed up to a very significant process.
The afternoon session focussed on Community and Culture and gave us time to consider how they both played a part in developing and presenting the character of the National Landscape and how that could be demonstrated to residents and visitors alike.
It was noted that we wished to present a true picture of the people who lived in the area and how important the Welsh heritage and language was to everyone. Given that a lot of our visitors are from outside the locality we wanted to be able to demonstrate how much the National Landscape was valued because of how it looked today but, equally as important, because of its history.
With a lot of new information and thoughts running amok we closed the conference with an information gathering session to capture as many ideas and suggestions before they were forgotten.
The second day started with a session on Recreation and Access and the speakers gave us presentations on how the National Landscape was currently be used for many activities both active such as Walking, canoeing to more sedentary like Bird Watching or just picnicking in the countryside and looking at the view. It highlighted the impacts these activities had such as, car parking, traffic congestion, litter and unsociable behaviour. We discussed the impacts on residents both in the towns and countryside and how we could mitigate these issues.
We also discussed the problems of ‘honey spots’ and how we cold refocus visitors to other areas and if we were to encourage more people into the National Landscape how this could be achieved without significant impacts on the local communities.
This was a huge subject area to cover and consequently generated many suggestions from the panel which again were noted for later discussion.
That took us to the final session of the day which was really for us to review and discuss the many points that had been raised add any new ones we had thought about and to develop some overarching principles to guide the development of the new plan.
In summary we agreed the development of the management plan should be steered by:
- Nature Recovery as the Strategic Spine of the entire plan
- Collaboration and Community led and focussed projects
- To put trust in our community organisations and work to develop local initiatives
- To work with and not duplicate activity but support and promote people or groups who already have the expertise
- The National Landscape team to become an enabler for all groups and to promote itself as a resolver of issues and a driver for necessary change.
In conclusion we all agreed that it was a very worthwhile exercise and hoped, even though the team are only at the beginning of a long consultation process, that some of our thoughts and ideas would help to shape the final plan.
Regarding the Citizens Panel it was unanimously agreed that this was a great idea and we would not hesitate in recommending this approach in the future.
Panel Dinasyddion Tirwedd Genedlaethol
David Tomlinson
Cyflwyniad
Yn gynharach eleni, cefais wahoddiad e-bost i wneud cais i fod yn rhan o’r broses o ddatblygu Cynllun Rheoli AHNE Bryniau Clwyd a Dyffryn Dyfrdwy 2025-2030. Holiadur ar-lein byr yn ddiweddarach, roeddwn yn ffodus i gael fy newis i eistedd ar yr hyn a elwid yn ‘Banel Dinasyddion’.
Nid oedd y dull hwn, gan ddefnyddio Panel Dinasyddion, erioed wedi’i roi ar brawf o’r blaen gan dîm y Dirwedd Genedlaethol ac roedd dewis y panel yn canolbwyntio ar bobl a oedd yn meddwl yn gadarnhaol am yr angen am AHNE ac a oedd â syniadau ynghylch sut y dylid ei datblygu.
Roedd y panel terfynol a ddewiswyd yn cynnwys grŵp amrywiol o bobl y mae eu demograffeg yn adlewyrchu cymaint â phosibl o bobl o’r cymunedau o fewn ac o amgylch y Dirwedd Genedlaethol.
Cynhadledd Penwythnos
Ychydig wythnosau’n ddiweddarach, cawsom ein gwahodd i gynhadledd ddeuddydd yn Rhuthun gyda’r nod o ddangos i’r Tîm Rheoli sut roedden ni’n gweld y datblygiadau cyfredol o fewn y Dirwedd Genedlaethol a sut roedden ni’n teimlo y dylen ni lywio’r gweithgaredd dros y pum mlynedd nesaf.
Gofynnwyd i ni ganolbwyntio ein meddyliau a’n trafodaethau ar dri maes:
Adfer Natur
Cymuned a Diwylliant
Mynediad a Hamdden
A’r fformat fyddai cael gwybodaeth yn cael ei chyflwyno i ni gan arbenigwr pwnc ac yna i ni gael yr amser ar gyfer cwestiynau ac yna amser i lunio a dogfennu ein meddyliau.
Canolbwyntiodd sesiwn gyntaf y dydd ar Adfer Natur a gofynnwyd i ni ystyried a oedd y prosiectau yr oeddem yn eu gwneud ar hyn o bryd yn dod â’r newidiadau yr oeddem eu hangen ac a ddylem feddwl yn llawer ehangach gan nad oeddem yn cadw i fyny â’r newidiadau a oedd yn cael eu gwneud i’r amgylchedd trwy hinsawdd, datblygiad a newid gwledig cyffredinol. Tynnwyd sylw at y ffaith ein bod eisoes yn gweld 6ed digwyddiad difodiant torfol a bod angen newid uchelgeisiol yn ein prosesau rheoli os oeddem wir am wneud y gwahaniaeth gofynnol.
Fel sesiwn gyntaf, roedd hon yn dipyn o sioc i’r system ac fe wnaeth i ni sylweddoli ein bod wedi ymrwymo i broses arwyddocaol iawn.
Canolbwyntiodd sesiwn y prynhawn ar Gymuned a Diwylliant a rhoddodd amser inni ystyried sut y chwaraeodd y ddau ran wrth ddatblygu a chyflwyno cymeriad y Dirwedd Genedlaethol a sut y gellid dangos hynny i drigolion ac ymwelwyr fel ei gilydd.
Nodwyd ein bod yn dymuno cyflwyno darlun gwir o’r bobl a oedd yn byw yn yr ardal a pha mor bwysig oedd treftadaeth a iaith Cymru i bawb. O ystyried bod llawer o’n hymwelwyr o’r tu allan i’r ardal, roeddem am allu dangos faint roedd y Dirwedd Genedlaethol yn cael ei gwerthfawrogi oherwydd sut roedd yn edrych heddiw ond, yr un mor bwysig, oherwydd ei hanes.
Gyda llawer o wybodaeth a meddyliau newydd yn rhedeg yn wyllt, fe wnaethom gloi’r gynhadledd gyda sesiwn casglu gwybodaeth i gasglu cymaint o syniadau ac awgrymiadau â phosibl cyn iddynt gael eu hanghofio.
Dechreuodd yr ail ddiwrnod gyda sesiwn ar Hamdden a Mynediad a rhoddodd y siaradwyr gyflwyniadau inni ar sut roedd y Dirwedd Genedlaethol yn cael ei defnyddio ar hyn o bryd ar gyfer llawer o weithgareddau, boed yn egnïol fel Cerdded, Canŵio neu fwy eisteddog fel Gwylio Adar neu ddim ond picnic yng nghefn gwlad ac edrych ar y golygfa. Tynnodd sylw at yr effeithiau a gafodd y gweithgareddau hyn fel parcio ceir, tagfeydd traffig, sbwriel ac ymddygiad anghymdeithasol. Trafodon ni’r effeithiau ar drigolion yn y trefi a chefn gwlad a sut y gallem liniaru’r problemau hyn.
Trafodwyd hefyd broblemau ‘mannau mêl’ a sut rydym yn ailganolbwyntio ymwelwyr i ardaloedd eraill ac, os ydym am annog mwy o bobl i’r Dirwedd Genedlaethol, sut y gellid cyflawni hyn heb effeithiau sylweddol ar gymunedau lleol.
Roedd hwn yn faes pwnc enfawr i’w gwmpasu ac o ganlyniad cynhyrchodd lawer o awgrymiadau gan y panel a nodwyd eto ar gyfer trafodaeth ddiweddarach.
Aeth hynny â ni i sesiwn olaf y dydd a oedd mewn gwirionedd i ni adolygu a thrafod y nifer o bwyntiau a godwyd, ychwanegu unrhyw rai newydd yr oeddem wedi meddwl amdanynt a datblygu rhai egwyddorion cyffredinol i arwain datblygiad y cynllun newydd.
I grynhoi, cytunwyd y dylai datblygiad y cynllun rheoli gael ei lywio gan:
Adfer Natur fel Asgwrn Cefn Strategol y cynllun cyfan
Cydweithio a phrosiectau dan arweiniad a ffocws y Gymuned
Rhoi ymddiriedaeth yn ein sefydliadau cymunedol a gweithio i ddatblygu mentrau lleol
Gweithio gyda gweithgaredd a pheidio â dyblygu ond cefnogi a hyrwyddo pobl neu grwpiau sydd eisoes â’r arbenigedd
Tîm y Dirwedd Genedlaethol i ddod yn alluogwr i bob grŵp a hyrwyddo ei hun fel datryswr problemau a gyrrwr ar gyfer newid angenrheidiol. I gloi, cytunwyd arnom i gyd ei fod yn ymarfer gwerth chweil iawn a gobeithio, er mai dim ond ar ddechrau proses ymgynghori hir y mae’r tîm, y byddai rhai o’n meddyliau a’n syniadau yn helpu i lunio’r cynllun terfynol.
O ran y Panel Dinasyddion, cytunwyd yn unfrydol fod hwn yn syniad gwych ac na fyddem yn petruso cyn argymell y dull hwn yn y dyfodol.
Panel Dinasyddion Tirwedd Genedlaethol