Education and Skills

The Partnership, via the Education Team of Brecon Beacons National Park, has been delivering a highly successful school programme as part of its Sustainable Management Scheme Project. The programme ‘Telling the Black Mountains Story’ is sought to tell the story of hill-farming and how it has shaped the landscape that is seen today. This was interspersed with learning centred on wildlife and habitat identification, basic navigation techniques and the role of the uplands in climate change and climate change adaptation and mitigation. It has also supported the facilitation of outdoor learning, giving over 500 pupils the opportunity to explore the uplands whilst furthering their learning and, importantly, connecting young people to their local landscape. Following this, an outreach programme has been created to give young people the chance to become Black Mountains Young Ambassadors as future custodians of the Black Mountains and its natural resources and the next generation members of its burgeoning communities.

Traditional rural skills such as dry-stone walling and hedge laying have played an important role over time in moulding the distinctive and unique landscape of the Black Mountains that we see around us today. However, the significant change in land management practices over the past century has resulted in many of these features being left neglected and falling into disrepair.  Changing agricultural policies, an ageing rural sector and fewer young people in the grazing community strain the socio-economic fabric of the Black Mountains and their sustainable management. This means that there is a real risk of traditional rural skills being lost. The Partnership seeks to explore and mitigate these challenges to better understand them and ensure a resilient, sustainable future is shaped for the Black Mountains, its biodiversity, people and culture.  The Black Mountains Land Use Partnership wants to see traditional rural skills retained and revived to contribute to the sustainable management of natural resources in the Black Mountains. BMLUP, as part of its Sustainable Management Scheme project, has awarded over £45,000 via its stipend programme to young farmers, local businesses and community groups to help the reverse the decline in traditional rural skills, build resilient community networks, provide for wider learning opportunities, enhance the local economy and upskill individuals through training and qualifications. Young Farmers are critical to the future of upland areas like the Black Mountains. To this end, the Partnership has also supported the establishment of a Black Mountains Young Farmer Network.

The Partnership also promotes safe, sustainable visitation in the Black Mountains and this is part of a much broader education and awareness initiative for BMLUP. To help support this, a Mountain and Moorland Ambassador Scheme has been established. Led by the Sustainable Tourism Officer at the National Park, the programme has seen over 50 Ambassadors from local businesses and tourism providers gain knowledge, skills and experience of upland land use and access and its associated ecology, geology, archaeology and upland hill management practices. The scheme was shortlisted for a Sustain Wales Academy Award in 2019, and was highly commended by the judges. Following this, the programme has evolved into the establishment of a Black Mountains Ambassador Network. This network works alongside partners to raise awareness of safe, sustainable visitation in the Black Mountains and to promote local businesses and tourism opportunities in the area, and further enhance the resilient community building initiatives led by the Partnership.