A Landscape that Resonates: What Ullswater can teach – and learn - about land use in a protected landscape
On April 28th to 29th, Ullswater in Cumbria will provide the venue for a 2-day conference bringing expert stakeholders from research, farming and policy to discuss land management and land use change in the uplands and protected landscapes. It will explore how farm scale or catchment scale actions in one region can provide lessons and inspiration for change elsewhere.
The event takes place under the umbrella of the Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People Hub, a government funded initiative that looks to bridge the gap between UK researchers, land managers and policy-makers as they explore how land use can support the transition to Net Zero while reflecting on the economic and social needs of land managers and their communities.
Rob Fraser from the Place Collective, a member of the LUNZ Hub, explained why Ullswater was chosen for the event– and why it is so timely.
“Our uplands and protected landscapes account for more than a quarter of England’s land cover. These are special places, steeped in cultural history, and loved and visited by many millions of people – but they also represent a unique challenge in how they can deliver for nature, climate and people.”
“Participants are joining us from across sectors and across the UK, and the title we have chosen – ‘Resonance’ will help them to focus on ways we may work together and how actions across multiple scales affect one another. It suggests a passing on of energy – we’re looking forward to seeing what resonates for each delegate, how their learning relates to their own personal and professional situations”
“It’s an interesting time to be considering change, with a need across the sector to adapt to complex and multiple challenges, with lots of uncertainty within the farming community in particular as policies change at a rapid pace. We hope this event will help how might ‘good’ practices be replicated and scaled up, and deliver positive actions. It also looks at how the stories we tell about places and the people who care for them impact decision making – and ask what do we need to do differently.”
The two-day event, with site visits and a conference day, will focus on key themes of enabling just transitions; improving exchange of knowledge and insights; and ensuring the best possible evidence is available to policy makers. It will also consider the interplay of nature, people and climate, and approaches to land use in ‘multifunctional’ landscapes. In this context, the LUNZ Hub is feeding evidence to policy makers as they develop the Land Use Framework for England, which is open for consultation until April 25th, 2025.
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