Sir Simon Jenkins back the protection of the Cambrian Mountains | By Ruairi Walsh, Facebook Community Reporter | The National | www.thenational.wales
Former Times editor and author Sir Simon Jenkins has voiced his support for the Cambrian Mountains to be protected.
Sir Simon has called the slow erosion of the beauty of the Cambrian Mountains ‘a tragedy’, and is supporting the campaign to have the area designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
He said: “The omission of the Cambrian Mountains from Welsh national park status in the 1960s was a tragic mistake, as the gradual erosion of the visual beauty of central Wales illustrates.
“Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons should never have been divorced. The result has already been a blight of turbine arrays, inappropriate buildings and unsightly conifer afforestation. At the very least, nowhere in Britain better qualifies for AONB status as a matter of urgency than the Cambrian Mountains.”
Sir Simon joins a number of famous advocates for the protection of the area including local broadcaster Iolo Williams and author, Neil Ansell.
A campaign to protect the area is being run by the Cambrian Mountains Society. They are collecting signatures for a petition to deliver to the Senedd – once it has reached 10,000 the issue of designating the area as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty will need to be debated in chamber.
Cambrian Mountains Society trustee Brian Davies, whose family has lived and worked on the western fringes of the Cambrian Mountains for at least five generations, said: “Despite its extraordinary beauty, mid Wales is the only region in Wales without any protection whatsoever for its iconic landscapes. The area is facing huge threats from several marine-scale wind farm proposals which will be highly visible for miles around.
“Investment companies buying ancient farms for greenwash purposes is another big problem. Far from planting mixed woodland such companies are planting conifers as a crop in the name of carbon offsetting, and suffocating biodiversity in the process. It is abundantly clear that the Cambrian Mountains need to be properly safeguarded for future generations to enjoy.”
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2022/08/27/slow-erosion-of-cambrian-mountains-is-a-tragedy-says-ex-times-editor/