Conservators facts for kids

In some parts of England, there are special groups called Conservators. These groups are officially set up by law to look after areas of countryside. Their main job is to make sure these places are beautiful, protected, and available for everyone to enjoy.

What Conservators Do

Conservators are like guardians of specific countryside areas. They are official groups, often created by old laws passed a long time ago, like the Commons Act 1876 or special local laws. Each group of Conservators has its own set of rules and powers, which are written down in the law that created them.

Generally, their main jobs are to:

• Manage their area for people to use for fun activities, like walking or cycling.
• Protect the special rights of commoners. Commoners are people who have traditional rights to use common land, for example, to graze their animals.
• Keep the natural beauty of their area safe and sound.

Conservators often have the power to look after the land, including the trees, plants, and animals living there. They can also create places for recreation, control activities in their area, manage waterways, and even make their own local rules, called byelaws.

Who Are the Members?

The people who make up a Board of Conservators can be different for each group. It all depends on the specific law that set them up.

Some common ways members are chosen include:

• Being elected by commoners or people who live nearby.
• Being chosen by local councils.
• Being appointed by Universities.
• Being appointed by the Lord of the Manor, who is a traditional owner of land.

The Future of Conservators

A newer law, the Commons Act 2006, talked about setting up new groups called Commons Councils to manage common land. These new groups would have a similar job to the current Conservators.

The government department in charge of this, the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), planned to start these new councils. They said that Commons Councils would only be created if local people wanted them. If a new Commons Council is set up, DEFRA might change or remove existing Conservator groups if their jobs would clash.

Examples of Conservators

Here are some examples of Conservator groups in England:

• Conservators of Ashdown Forest
• Malvern Hills Conservators
• Conservators of the River Cam
• Banstead Commons Conservators
• Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators
• Tunbridge Wells Commons Conservators
• Mitcham Common Conservators
• Shenfield Common Conservators
• Epsom and Walton Downs Conservators
• Mousehold Heath Conservators
• Conservators of Therfield Heath and Greens
• Oxshott Heath Conservators
• Chislehurst and St Paul's Cray Commons Conservators
• The Common Council of the City of London is the Conservator of Epping Forest
• Cleeve Common Board of Conservators

Similar Groups

There are also other groups that do similar work, like:

• Dartmoor Commoners' Council
• Greenham and Crookham Commons Commissioners