1. Protected area categories
and the National Trust
Simon Pryor
Natural Environment Director

2. Outline
• National Trust’s purpose and assets
• What types of land and habitats do we protect?
• Categories of protected areas on the NT estate
• ‘Inalienability’
• Some questions about categories
• Applying Protected Area concept strategically
• Thinking ‘Beyond our boundaries’

3. The National Trust
• Established by statute over 100 years ago
• England, Wales and N Ireland
• 100m visits, 4m members, 55,000 volunteers
• Core purpose: “To protect places of historic
interest and natural beauty, permanently and for
the benefit of the nation”

4. Habitats important for the Trust

5. Areas we protect for the nation
255,000 ha of land
710 miles of coastline
Around 80% is farmed
60% is tenanted
The large majority is ‘inalienable’
Whole landscapes & catchments

6. National Trust land and
National Parks
49% of NT land is in a
National Park
7.6% of land in NPAs is
owned by National Trust

7. SSSIs on NT estate
(% of national total area)
97,000 ha of SSSI (7%)
74,900 ha of SACs (5%)
36,500 ha of SPAs (4%)
11,800 ha of NNRs (9%)
14,500 ha Ramsar sites (3%)

8. NT Ownership and protection in Dovedale

9. Inalienable land
Once declared ‘inalienable’ the property (land or building)
cannot be sold, given away or mortgaged
Nor compulsorily purchased against the Trust’s wishes
without special permission from Parliament
But can be leased, altered and even built on
Only declared ‘after sober reflection’
Cannot be reversed or adjusted
‘Inalienable’ not defined in the legislation
Not used ‘tactically’ to protect areas under threat
Presumption that most land acquired will be declared.
Providing it is of ‘inalienable quality’
Current exercise to produce a definitive digital map

10. Questions re protected areas on
the NT estate
1. Do some of our sites qualify as Category 1a?
2. Should some of the larger scale properties, and
Heritage Coast, qualify as Category II ‘National
Parks’?
3. Should veteran trees be treated as Category III
‘Natural Monuments’?
4. What proportion of NT land qualifies as Category IV
v. Category V?
5. Should managed ancient or semi-natural woodlands
qualify as Category IV?

11. Some ‘strategic thoughts’ on
protected areas
• Does all tenanted farmland qualify?
• What do the different types of designation add?
• Risk based protection and the red tape challenge
• Protection through public concern (forests and NPPF)
• Other categorisations of countryside sites
A different categorisation of sites for nature:
• Wow!
• Fascinating
• Lovely
• Important

12. Thinking ‘Beyond our boundaries’
• What should our acquisition policy be?
– Should we take on publicly owned land
that is in jeopardy?
– Should we not take on sites with legal
protection?
• Should we be making more of the
Trust’s inalienable land protection?
• Can we help others protect other
special sites or concentrate on the ones
we own?

13. Summary
• National Trust’s particular role in protecting whole landscapes
• Categorisation and bench marking of the protection we provide
is useful - but not straightforward
• Can we make more use of the ‘inalienability’ tool?
• Working more ‘beyond our boundaries’
• People valuing nature is the highest form of protection