THE Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is to benefit from Government funding of £3.5 million to ensure that England?s finest landscapes remain living, working, thriving and beautiful. Minister for Rural Affairs, Landscape and Diversity Jim Knight visited the Tamar Valley last week to celebrate the introduction of the Sustainable Development Fund for areas of outstanding natural beauty. The Tamar Valley is one of 12 areas in the Westcountry to receive up to £100,000 to encourage projects offering social, economic and environmental benefits, which also safeguard the beauty and character of the area. Tim Selman, who manages the 80 square mile AONB, said the funding would be used to look at developing new crops like vines and re-introducing old ones back on the market like varieties of daffodils. ?This money is money to take risks with ? to try new projects,? he said. ?The land has got to have an economic value if we want it to survive in the future.? Mr Selman said the Government had not made any future funding commitment and and he wanted to make sure the funding continued so planning for the future could take place. Jim Knight, who met with Mr Selman during his visit, said AONBs were national assets and were there for everybody to enjoy. ?The landscapes are not all entirely natural and many were shaped by human activities, such as farming,? he said. ?Whilst they must be conserved and protected, they are also homes and workplaces for many people and their conservation depends on the sustainability of the activities which take place within their boundaries. ?The aim behind the sustainable development fund is to encourage individuals, community groups and businesses to co-operate together to develop practical and sustainable solutions to the management of their activities. ?I hope they will seize the opportunity presented by the fund to test new ways of achieving a more sustainable way of living in landscapes of outstanding natural beauty.? The fund will be administered and monitored by the Countryside Agency on behalf of Defra.
