Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
- a landscape of inspiration
In England and Wales , there is a huge variety of scenery and landscapes, from dramatic coasts to remote mountains. Those landscapes considered most valuable are designated as National Parks or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs). These landscapes are protected by law and managed to maintain their special character for now and the future.
Cannock Chase was designated as an AONB in 1958 because of its beautiful landscape, its wildlife and its history. Cannock Chase is the largest surviving area of lowland heathland in the Midlands . Lowland heath is an internationally scarce and threatened wildlife habitat. The AONB also has extensive areas of forest and woodland along with areas of designed parkland, sand and gravel quarrying and mixed agriculture.
Cannock Chase and its associated animal and plant communities are part of an historic landscape dating back thousands of years. Wild deer still roam the Chase and are probably descended from the original herd introduced in Norman times for hunting purposes.
There is now considerable economic and recreational pressure on this beautiful landscape and the new Cannock Chase AONB Management Plan aims to ensure the right balance is maintained to conserve and enhance the area whilst maintaining it as a living, working environment.
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