Chris Short, Chairman of the Foundation for Common Land, was a key speaker at a forthcoming conference entitled ‘LOCAL SPACES : OPEN MINDS Changing attitudes’, organised by Chilterns Commons Project run by the Chilterns Conservation Board.
While most of common land is on upland hills and moors, there are hundreds of smaller commons to be found across lowland England. In the past, commons were vital to the economy of local communities; today they are treasured as open spaces. In his presentation, in the context of ‘changing attitudes’, Chris explored what can be usefully done with commons no longer in agricultural management to ensure they are relevant and sustainable in the 21st century. To read his presentation click here
Chris also chaired a discussion on issues and challenges relating to today’s management of lowland commons outside agricultural management. The panel included other conference speakers as well as Nicola Hodgson, Open Spaces Society, and Kath Daly, Chilterns Conservation Board specifically looking at developing a purpose for lowland commons that are no longer grazed.
