| answer text |
<p>Natural England recently updated the Countryside Code, following significant stakeholder
engagement. It comprises a version aimed at visitors to the countryside (updated April
2021) and a version aimed at land managers with public access on their land (launched
February 2022). Monitoring and evaluating the impact and effectiveness of the updated
Countryside Code has been, and will continue to be, undertaken in several ways.</p><p>Natural
England has included two questions relating to the Countryside Code in the People
and Nature Survey for England since April 2021. This online panel survey, which has
Official Statistics status, gathers evidence and trend data through relating to people’s
enjoyment, access, understanding of and attitudes to the natural environment, and
its contributions to wellbeing. One of these questions collects data on participants’
reported behaviours when visiting the countryside, corresponding to the behaviours
included in the Countryside Code. The other question collects data on the extent to
which participants have heard of the Countryside Code and follow it. Data is currently
available for the period April to December 2021, which includes responses from a nationally
representative sample of 18,747 adults in England (see attachment, 'PANS Monthly Countryside
Code data for December 2021' (www.gov.uk/government/statistics/the-people-and-nature-survey-for-england-monthly-indicators-for-december-2021-official-statistics)).
A detailed analysis of this data will be carried out at the end of a full year’s data
collection, during 2022/23.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Natural England recently delivered
two small-scale stakeholder surveys focused on the Countryside Code:</p><ul><li>In
an online survey of 3,801 stakeholders carried out in winter 2020/21, participants
shared their opinions about the effectiveness of the Countryside Code, current levels
of public awareness about it and official efforts to improve this. They also provided
information about their personal level of engagement and familiarity with the Countryside
Code, including to which extent they have used and promoted it. The results of this
survey, in addition to Natural England’s response to the headline findings, have been
published (see attachment, <a href="http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6527410754551808"
target="_blank">NERR095 2021 ‘The Countryside Code: Stakeholder Survey. A summary
of findings’ (//publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6527410754551808)</a>).
These results informed work to update the Countryside Code.</li><li>Natural England
delivered another online survey in autumn 2021, aimed at land managers, which received
613 responses. This survey collected data on the opinions and awareness of land managers
in relation to the Countryside Code, in addition to direct experiences of undesirable
visitor behaviours on the land they manage and self-reported behaviours relevant to
managing public access on their land in line with the Countryside Code. The results
will be published in spring 2022.</li></ul><p>Natural England will use these survey
results as a baseline and will run further stakeholder surveys on an annual basis
to track change in awareness and utilisation of the Countryside Code, and the impact
of the Code on reported behaviours.</p><p>Natural England has also delivered internal
evaluations of the impact of communication campaigns launched to promote the updated
versions of the Countryside Code.</p><p>Natural England will commission a more complete
evaluation of the effectiveness of the Countryside Code, and recent promotional initiatives,
during 2022/23.</p>
|
|
