A definitive survey shows nearly 2.5bn visits were made to English countryside, coast and open spaces last year, with visitors spending over £17 billion in 2010/11
Natural England, with support from the Forestry Commission and Defra, has published its second year of findings in the definitive survey of the way we visit and use the outdoors. The Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment (MENE) survey has been carried out in weekly “waves” over the last two years and its unprecedented scope is reflected in the number of people interviewed – in 2010/2011 over 46,000 people were sampled.
The results show that in 2010/11 alone, nearly 2.5 billion visits were made to England’s countryside and open spaces, during the course of which visitors generated over £17 billion in expenditure. Over half those surveyed responded that they visit the natural environment at least once a week.
Environment Minister Richard Benyon said: ‘Nature is a perfect antidote to the stress of our busy lives and this survey shows the extent of people’s passion for the world beyond their front door. “The Government is working hard to strengthen the connection people have with nature. In our recent Natural Environment White Paper we outlined how we intend to expand, improve and protect our valuable wildlife habitats – making us the first generation to leave the environment in a better condition than we found it.’
MENE provides the most comprehensive dataset yet available on how the population of England uses and enjoys the natural environment. Its evidence base helps a number of Government Departments and Local Authorities evaluate policies on access to the countryside and greenspace. The survey findings were used to help justify the approach taken in the recent Natural Environment White Paper to improve the quality and increase the value of the natural environment across England.
Aside from its unprecedented sample size, MENE is unique in collecting reliable data on longer term trends in countryside usage. By conducting the survey annually and asking a consistent set of questions each year, MENE is deliberately designed to build up a picture of how leisure visits to the outdoors are changing over time. Now in its second year, the MENE data can already be analysed to reveal year-on-year changes and the 2010/11 survey is revealing striking changes to the previous year and highlighting very real variation between the ways that different social groups use and engage with the natural environment. In particular:
· The English adult population participated in an estimated 2.49 billion visits to the natural environment in 2010/11, but this represents a 13 per cent decrease on the estimated 2.86 billion visits taken during 2009/10.
· Within these figures, however, the number of visits taken to farmland, mountain, hill, moorland and woodland increased, while the most significant decreases in visits were recorded for urban parks and other open spaces in towns and cities.
· Forests and woodlands received 13 per cent of all visits, an increased share from 11 per cent in 2010.
· Visits were lower during every month of the 2010/11 survey, compared to the same month in the previous year. The decrease in visit numbers was, however, not consistent across all population groups and the number of visits increased slightly amongst the most affluent socio-economic groups.
In addition to the main annual MENE survey, a parallel one-off survey looking at attitudes to the natural environment has also been published.
Based on 2009/2010 data the Attitudes Survey shows that:
· The English adult population are generally positive about the current state of the natural environment, with only 15% regarding it as in a “poor” or “terrible” condition. However, 42% believe that biodiversity has declined in the last ten years and 64% believe that the natural environment will be in a “slightly worse” or “much worse” state in 50 years’ time.
· There are marked differences in the levels of concern about the state of the natural environment between different demographic groups and those who visit most frequently are generally more satisfied about its current condition.
· In general, women are more concerned than men about the future prospects for the environment. When asked about issues like air pollution, climate change, built development, species decline and flooding, women tended to view these as more likely to occur over the next 50 years. They were almost twice as likely as men were to expect that half of the countryside will be built on by 2060 and that prolonged summer droughts will become the norm.
MENE surveys will continue to be produced during 2011/2012 and will help us interpret whether some year on year changes are establishing themselves as longer term trends and help identify areas for further research. From 6 July 2011 data will be published on a monthly basis via a short statistical release.
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