Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust is working to inform and encourage effective government policies for the protection and promotion of our valued landscapes and coastal and marine areas.
This is particularly important in light of a pending Northern Ireland Government review of landscapes legislation. The Trust, as a member of Landscapes NI, is playing a leading row in terms of this review and the development of a new Northern Ireland landscapes strategy. This is particularly in terms of the role of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the change in priorities since the legislation was last reviewed in the 1980s.
We hope this will be an opportunity to increase the profile and role of landscape designations as well as landscape bodies like CCGHT.
In 2024, CCGHT helped draft the ‘Landscapes NI Manifesto’ for landscape protection launched at Stormont in October and also joined the Northern Ireland Marine Task Force (NIMTF); a coalition NGOs advocating for effective marine protection policies in Northern Ireland waters.
Also in 2024, CCGHT submitted & informed NIMTF responses to government consultations on the Review of the NI Marine Protected Areas Strategy; the NI Blue Carbon Action Plan (for marine and coastal habitats that help tackle climate change); the NI Seabird Conservation Strategy and the NI Elasmobranch Strategy (to support conservation of our sharks, skates, rays).
