National Park Members Approve £135,000 for Conservation Project in Pembrokeshire

National park members have approved £135,000 to be spent on developing a scheme seeking to secure almost £13m for conservation work over the next decade.
At a September 23 meeting, members were asked to approve £135,000 in match funding for the development phase of the ‘Pembrokeshire Landscape Connections’ Heritage Lottery Fund application.
The application would be a joint scheme by the Park and National Trust Cymru.
It said the proposed scheme was “designed to drive long-term landscape-scale nature recovery across the coastal landscapes of Pembrokeshire,” through “nature-friendly land management, stronger ecological networks and deeper connections between people, land, food, heritage and nature”.
The application aims to secure £12.9m from the Heritage Lottery Fund over 10 years for conservation work in the National Park.
St Davids and Castlemartin will be the project’s first focus areas because they have protected sites, opportunities for landscape-scale nature recovery, and established partnerships.
The 10-year project will connect habitats, restore natural processes, and bring landowners and conservation groups together “to create more resilient landscapes for wildlife and people,” while “reconnecting people to nature, land and heritage,” and “embedding cultural heritage, local knowledge and community identity within landscape recovery”.
The scheme would begin with a two-year development phase, followed by eight years of delivery, to create a model for landscape-scale partnerships elsewhere.
The Heritage Lottery Fund is investing about £150m in 20 projects across the UK, including schemes in national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.
The next application window is in November. If successful, the development phase would run from June, 2027, to May 2029, followed by delivery from December, 2029, to January, 2038.
The delivery phase is expected to be worth £11.75m, with up to £10m in HLF support and £1.35m in match funding from each organisation.
The report said the funding would come from several sources, including external fundraising, with regular discussions underway with the National Trust about securing it.
Most additional funding is expected to come from external sources, while a £100,000 reserve has been set aside to help secure HLF funding for the development phase.
Cllr Simon Hancock proposed the funding, which members approved. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​