The British countryside is embarking on a significant diversity initiative following a series of government-commissioned reports that identified it as being perceived as too 'white' and 'middle-class'. Officials responsible for managing some of the nation's most celebrated beauty spots have unveiled comprehensive proposals designed to attract more visitors from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Addressing the 'White Environment' Perception
The plans emerge from a review ordered by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), which cautioned that rural areas are viewed by black, Asian, and other minority ethnic groups as 'very much a white environment'. The report starkly warned that the countryside risks becoming 'irrelevant' in an increasingly multicultural society unless decisive action is taken.
National Landscapes Take Action
In response, officials representing various National Landscapes—including the Cotswolds, Chilterns, and Malvern Hills—have revealed specific strategies to engage minority communities. The Chiltern National Landscape will launch a targeted outreach programme in Luton and High Wycombe, with particular focus on Muslim communities. Meanwhile, the Cotswolds National Landscape has explicitly referenced the Defra-commissioned report, committing to transform its provisions to reach 'the widest demographic' possible.
The Malvern Hills National Landscape offered poignant analysis in its management plans, stating: 'Many minority peoples have no connection to nature in the UK because their parents and their grandparents did not feel safe enough to take them or had other survival preoccupations. This breaks down the oral traditions for learning.' It further observed that while most white English users value solitude and contemplative activities, ethnic minority visitors tend to prefer social company with family, friends, or school groups.
Identifying and Overcoming Barriers
Various National Landscapes have identified multiple barriers preventing ethnic minority engagement. Nidderdale National Landscape in North Yorkshire warned that minority communities may face significant obstacles when accessing nearby countryside, including 'concerns about how they will be received when visiting an unfamiliar place'. Practical concerns have also emerged, with reports indicating that 'anxiety over unleashed dogs' represents a genuine deterrent for some potential visitors.
Cranborne Chase National Landscape, spanning Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Somerset, aims to 'reach people or communities with protected characteristics such as people without English as a first language'. Similarly, Surrey Hills management acknowledged that 'some demographics are still under-represented in our countryside', while Suffolk and Essex Coast Heaths raised concerns about 'some sections of society that are under-represented when looking at the composition of visitors'.
The Original Report's Stark Warning
The 2019 Defra-commissioned report, overseen by author and former board member Julian Glover, delivered a blunt assessment: 'We are all paying for national landscapes through our taxes, and yet sometimes on our visits it has felt as if National Parks are an exclusive, mainly white, mainly middle‑class club.' The report continued with even stronger language: 'Many communities in modern Britain feel that these landscapes hold no relevance for them. The countryside is seen by both black, Asian and minority ethnic groups and white people as very much a 'white' environment.'
The Conservative government at the time responded by pledging to 'expand community engagement including with reference to increasing the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of visitors', with additional outreach targeting other protected characteristics such as disability.
Follow-up Research and Findings
Defra invested £108,000 in a subsequent 2022 report titled 'Improving the ethnic diversity of visitors to England's protected landscapes'. This research found that 'perceptions of protected landscapes as being for white people and middle-class people could be a powerful barrier for first-generation immigrants'. Ethnic minorities reportedly associate visiting countryside landscapes with 'white culture', viewing 'the English countryside as a white space, to which they did not belong'.
The report highlighted additional concerns about rural facilities primarily 'catering to white English culture', noting: 'Protected landscapes were closely associated with 'traditional' pubs, which have limited food options and cater to people who have a drinking culture. Accordingly, Muslims from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi group said this contributed to a feeling of being unwelcome.'
Wider Context and Devolved Initiatives
The diversity drive extends beyond England, with the Labour government preparing to reveal its own targets for countryside access in 2025. Meanwhile, in Wales, a 2024 report commissioned by the devolved administration suggested introducing 'dog-free areas' to make local green spaces more inclusive as part of its Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan, which aims to eliminate racism by 2030.
A Defra spokesman previously stated: 'We will work with government, public bodies, businesses, civil society and communities to support people engaging with nature in their own ways and encourage them to do this safely and appropriately through continued promotion of the countryside code. We want to equip communities with the resources, knowledge and skills so they can respond to societal and environmental issues in their neighbourhoods.'
As multiple National Landscapes now develop 'more inclusive information to reflect more diverse cultural interpretation of the countryside', and Dedham Vale promises to 'identify and seek to address barriers facing under-represented and/or diverse groups', the UK's rural beauty spots appear poised for a transformative period of increased accessibility and representation.
