Written question WQ91264
- Asked by
- Andrew RT DaviesConservative
- To be answered by
- Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 8 days
Question
Is the Welsh Government taking any action to make the countryside a less colonial space, in light of comments from the Wildlife and Countryside Link in the Daily Mail on 8 February 2024?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
The Welsh Government is committed to giving opportunities for people of all backgrounds to enjoy our National Parks, coastline, walking trails and other green spaces but we know not all people from some ages, communities, backgrounds and abilities are able to access them equally.
We are actively supporting a range of initiatives to improve this access.
Our Access Improvement Grant programme provides funding for all Local Authorities to improve access to all, and it requires the inclusion of projects which increase under-represented groups’ access to the outdoors.
Our support for the Wales Coast Path also continues to promote equality of access. Just last summer, for example, the Wales Coast Path team worked with Muslim Hikers to organise 2 walking events on the Gower and Snowdonia coast. This collaboration between Muslim Hikers, Transport for Wales and local businesses attracted nearly 300 people.
We are funding an Equality, Diversity & Inclusion officer to support our National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty work with more diverse communities and backgrounds and people of all physical abilities.
It is also important for the organisations looking after the countryside to represent all the people of Wales. Our initiatives here include proactively looking for a more diverse range of people when making appointments to the Boards of our National Parks.