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Countryside management projectsGood countryside management helps to ensure that North Yorkshire remains a rich tapestry of natural landscapes, coasts and urban elegance, enjoyed by residents, businesses and holiday makers. While the county council owns little land of its own, it seeks to work with a wide range of partners to achieve this.
Partners include the Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire Moors National Park Authorities, three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), Natural England and the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. The Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors National Park Authorities manage the National Parks. The County Council manages the Howardian Hills AONB. It covers 204 square km (79 square miles) of well-wooded rolling countryside, scenic villages and historic country houses. The Nidderdale AONB is managed by Harrogate Borough Council and covers 603 square km (233 square miles). It boasts remote fells, managed grouse moors, crags, reservoirs and Fountains Abbey. The Forest of Bowland AONB covers a large area, of which 80 square km (31 square miles) is in Craven and is managed by a Joint Advisory committee made up of a partnership of landowners, farmers, voluntary organisations, wildlife groups, recreation groups, local councils and government agencies. Natural England is responsible for the agri-environment schemes which use European funds to keep land in good environmental condition. These schemes award payments for a variety of management work from maintaining species-rich hedgerows to re-creating lowland heath. The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has a number of nature reserves and some of these are Sites of Special Scientific Interest for their wildlife or geological value and can be visited. The County Council has a countryside volunteer service to help look after the countryside in a variety of ways. These include managing wild flower rich road verges and sites of importance for nature conservation, surveying public rights of way, carrying out practical improvements to footpaths and bridleways, carrying out visitor surveys and managing open access areas. Specialist landscape, ecological and archaeological officers from the county councils advise on development schemes to maximise opportunities to protect landscape views, wildlife and encourage good management of heritage sites.
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Countryside management
 Heritage
 Public rights of way
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