Countryside Council for Wales

CCW advises the government on a wide range of matters affecting the countryside. This included threats to the environment, the impacts of developments and changes in land use, international environmental matters and new legislation. CCW also advised on the declaration of Marine Nature Reserves, land for protection under European Union Directives and other international obligations, and land designated by local authorities such as Heritage Coasts and Local Nature Reserves.

As well as advising government and local authorities on land which should be protected, CCW was able to designate several categories of land to protect and conserve wildlife or landscape. These include national nature reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest as well as national parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. National trails were mapped out and negotiated in the first instance by CCW. Though protected areas represent the most special parts of the Welsh environment, CCW's conservation responsibilities transcended these boundaries and covered the whole of Wales. Wales has 70 national nature reserves, three national parks, five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), and Sites of Special Scientific Interest cover around 12% of Wales. About 70% of the Welsh coastline is protected.

Through discussions and management agreements CCW attempted to ensure that the wildlife value of SSSIs, most of which are privately owned and occupied, was retained and enhanced.

Rare and threatened animals and plants are protected by law so that they are not disturbed or destroyed, though there is occasionally a justifiable need to disturb these species. In these cases CCW advised and issued licences for individuals and organisations including for example, photographers and research scientists.

Part of CCW's remit was to improve opportunities for people to enjoy the countryside. By working closely with local authorities and other organisations, improvements were made to the system of public paths. CCW also worked to establish a Wales Coast Path which was officially launched in May 2012.

CCW worked with others on joint projects, local government being one of the closest partners. Other partnership projects ranged from joint educational activities to major engineering projects to regulate water levels on wetlands. Many projects were funded by CCW grants, enabling others to use their special skills and understanding of local communities to carry out environmental tasks on their behalf.