State of the National Park Report
This first State of the South Downs National Park report sets out to capture a picture of the National Park as it is today, providing a baseline against which future changes can be measured.
A crucial starting point in managing change for the future is to capture the essence of what makes the National Park important now – its special qualities. We have therefore structured the report around the seven special qualities of the South Downs.
The report has been developed in close collaboration with a wide range of organisations and individuals and will be a key tool in enabling us to tackle the complex issues facing the South Downs National Park. These issues will be addressed in our forthcoming Management Plan.
For ease of use, each of the main chapters of the report highlights key facts and key data that we intend to measure. As Britain’s newest National Park there are gaps in our data and at times in the report we have highlighted where such gaps exist and where we are inviting proposals for help in gathering such data.
This report is important not just for the National Park Authority, but for everyone who cares about the future of this iconic and unique living and working place.
This online version of the State of the South Downs National Park Report is a living and growing report and will be updated on a regular basis as new data becomes available.
We have also prepared a downloadable version of the report that you can print off yourself.