We are pleased to once again be working with the Chichester Harbour Conservancy to produce an up-to-date State of the AONB report for the nationally protected landscape.

This will be a joint project with close working between our Landscape Planning and GIS & Visualisation teams. It will update the current State of the AONB report produced by LUC in 2013.

The updated State of the AONB Report will:

• Form a broad evidence base to underpin the revised statutory AONB Management Plan considering a number of themes (including landscape character, biodiversity, cultural heritage and socio-economic themes).
• Present and interpret data and information gathered by different organisations, including the Conservancy. This will include a new survey of land- and water-based recreation users.
• Analyse changes that have happened over the last five years that have affected the landscapes and seascapes of the AONB.
• Help inform and guide action in response to reported trends.
• Provide evidence to help strengthen funding bids and act as a catalyst to engage with partners.
• Provide an opportunity to involve and engage communities in understanding and responding to landscape change.
• Help raise awareness of the work of the Conservancy in conserving and enhancing the landscape.

The Chichester Harbour AONB is a unique landscape, characterised by a number of estuarine channels flowing to the English Channel, with the marine, intertidal and coastal habitats internationally and nationally designated for nature conservation. The harbour is an important destination for recreational activity on both land and water. The AONB is a small yet intensively used landscape, increasing the importance of appropriate management in order to retain the characteristic elements of the landscape .

Our team has a strong understanding of the protected landscape and the processes used to analyse and present the underlying evidence and is excited to revisit this project.