Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Facts for Kids

An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is a special part of the countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland. These areas are chosen because they have incredibly beautiful landscapes. They are protected so that their natural beauty can be kept safe for everyone to enjoy.

In England, these areas are chosen by an organization called Natural England. In Wales, the Countryside Council for Wales does this job. And in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency is responsible. All these groups work with their governments to protect these amazing places.

What is the Main Goal of an AONB?
How are AONBs Like National Parks?
Where are AONBs Located?
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What is the Main Goal of an AONB?

The most important goal of an AONB is to protect and make the natural beauty of the landscape even better. But there are two other important goals too:

To make sure people can quietly enjoy the countryside.
To consider the needs of people who live and work in these areas.

To reach these goals, AONBs use special rules for planning new buildings. They also manage the countryside carefully. This helps keep the land beautiful and healthy.

How are AONBs Like National Parks?

AONBs are very similar to national parks in England and Wales. They both have amazing landscapes. They were even created under the same law, called the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949.

However, there are some differences:

National parks have their own special groups that manage them. AONBs do not have these separate groups.
National parks have stronger legal powers to stop building projects that might harm the area.
Many more people know about national parks than AONBs.

Where are AONBs Located?

There are many AONBs across the UK:

England has 35 AONBs.
Wales has four AONBs.
One AONB, the Wye Valley, is special because it is in both England and Wales!
Northern Ireland has nine AONBs.

The very first AONB was the Gower Peninsula in south Wales. It was chosen in 1956. The newest one confirmed was the Tamar Valley AONB in 1994.

The smallest AONB is the Isles of Scilly. It was chosen in 1976 and is about 16 square kilometers (6 square miles). The largest AONB is the Cotswolds. It was chosen in 1966 and is about 2,038 square kilometers (787 square miles).

Together, the AONBs in England and Wales cover about 18% of all the countryside in these two countries. That's a huge area of beautiful land that is protected!