NSA forms alliance with the Black Mountains Land Use Partnership

The newly formed Black Mountains Land Use Partnership has appointed NSA Chief Executive, Phil Stocker, as its new Chairman.

The partnership brings together key representatives and landowners various organisations to agree on the decision making and future management of the Black Mountains.

On being appointed as Chairman, Phil commented: “I feel honoured to be invited into this role and am delighted to accept the responsibility that goes with it. This is a huge opportunity to try to harmonise the multiple interests that are invested in this incredible area, and to put the farmers and graziers into a decision making and central driving position for an incredibly special landscape that many of them have lived and worked on for generations. I hope I am well placed to further the work that has already been achieved so far and that my experience of farming, land management policy and strategy, in both Wales and England will be of value.

This partnership with the NSA is the second phase of the Black Mountains Land Use partnership’s unique collaborative project to improve the biodiversity on the Black Mountains, which was made possible with a £200,000 grant from the Welsh Government’s Nature Fund. The grant supports a continuous improvement programme to restore heathland, peat bogs and other habitats in the Black Mountains and represent a significant portion of the Welsh Government’s Nature Fund.  

Phil continues; “The farming output from the Black Mountains should not be underestimated and we should remember that most of what is valued in terms of biodiversity and public enjoyment was created by a very long and traditional farming and grazing system. Increasingly areas such as this are also being recognised for their potential in renewable energy and combatting the effects of climate change. Getting that balance effectively in place and properly recognised is both the challenge and the opportunity that we have ahead of us.”