Commons Bill [HL]

I shall speak to Amendment No. 170A. It proposes a defined description of nature conservation in relation to the common land. Clause 30 makes provision with regard to the functions of commons associations. The functions must relate to the management of agricultural activities on designated land. Subsection (7) requires the commons association to have regard to the public interest as defined in,"““nature conservation; . . . the conservation of the landscape; and . . . the protection of public rights of access to any area of land””." That is too ambiguous and gives no standing or recognition as to how the land has been managed in the past by the landowners and commoners, which has often created the desirable state of a SSSI. This is a testament to the commoners and their management techniques. The amendment proposes a definition of ““nature conservation”” in relation to common land and recognises that one of the prime functions of a commons association is the management of land for livelihoods and the long-term viability of the common. Therefore, the amendment assures that public interest in common land includes nature conservation, but in the perspective of land management.