There are nearly 8700 commons in England and Wales, spread across every county and covering well over half a million hectares. Of these about 5000 commons contain or are part of SSSIs, with half of the commons in Wales and 81% in England, part of the protected landscapes of AONBs or National Parks. The English commons constitute nearly 40% of all open access land and in both countries commons are of national importance for their archaeology, cultural history and landscapes. .jpg)
The origins of commons go back to Domesday and beyond and down the centuries they have served as an important agricultural and domestic resource for local communities for grazing, collection of fuel and timber, fish and minerals off the land. In some areas, particularly the uplands, commons still have an important role in agricultural communities. However, many other commons have lost these economic and cultural links and are now more valued as wildlife sites and by their local communities as amenity land for air and exercise. This can result in conflicts between the maintenance of traditional management to retain biodiversity and their predominant use as public open spaces.
Resolving these issues is a complex task and requires expertise not only in both habitat management and public access, but also experience of facilitating public consultation and discussion, and a knowledge of the bewildering legislation connected with commons together with the recent legislation relating to wildlife conservation and access. Footprint Ecology can offer all these skills, and have advised on management and consultations many commons across half a dozen counties in England. We have also been retained to produce guidance notes for local communities who want to bring their commons and greens into management
