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For the past year I have been working closely with Tim Haselden at the Mendip Hills AONB whilst we produce a comprehensive 200 page Nature Recovery Plan. It was a big meaty job that has had a few elements branch off. This weekend was a chance to formally launch the ‘plan’ and specifically the Species Action Plans at the annual forum; A New Dawn.
The whole Mendip Hills AONB Nature Recovery plan can be read here but I have included some of my favourite snippets below.
The intention of the plan is summarized in the introduction as:
“In 2019, the Government’s Landscapes Review6 recommended that designated landscapes, including Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), should have a reviewed purpose, focussing more on nature’s recovery. In addition, due to the joint ecological and climate emergencies, all AONBs across the country have committed – through the Colchester Declaration7 - to embarking on a programme of nature recovery by producing and delivering a Nature Recovery Plan”
We spent a lot of time considering how readers would navigate and use the plan, aiming to make it as efficient to find the necessary information as possible. On top of this, it had to be engaging – the local community and stakeholders had to want to read it. This meant making the top line navigation clickable, which also required 8 master page styles and dozens of paragraph styles, with some clever GREP styles thrown in for good measure.
As part of the project, we also produced a series of A2 prints and A4 handouts focusing on the 8 champion species. I feel immensely proud to have been part of something that will influence the use and human interaction with the Mendip Hills – a place that is incredibly close to my heart.
