The Towns, Villages and People Habitat Action Plan is different from the other HAPs as its core focus is the interaction that people have with nature. Many people are not aware that towns and villages often contain areas very rich in wildlife, much richer in fact than intensively managed countryside. There are not only diverse parks and gardens, but also remnants of ancient natural systems (such as woodland), pre-industrial landscape (such as meadows) and naturally seeded areas on disturbed ground, which are unique to settlements. All of these areas harbour wildlife and provide much more opportunity for contact between people and nature than many parts of the countryside.

The Towns, Villages and People HAP sets out how this action plan will be implemented.

The main objectives of the Towns, Villages and People HAP are:

• To make the natural environment more relevant and accessible to people, thereby encouraging community involvement


• To maintain and enhance the biodiversity found in towns and villages


• To create a pool of information to improve the effectiveness of actions and decision making


• To provide and promote environmental education


• To achieve more effective working between relevant organisations

 Much of this work will be carried out through delivery of the BNCF Communication Plan.