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Llais y Goedwig
Manifesto

Llais y Goedwig
Manifesto

Being the voice of community woodlands in Wales

We believe it is really important that the voice of community woodlands is carried into discussions on the development of policies that affect the woodlands we know and love.

We also believe we can do more for community woodlands in Wales if we come together and speak with a strong voice.

Llais y Goedwig keeps abreast of what is happening in Welsh Government, and seeks to understand the concerns of the membership and to feed grassroots views into the policy debates in a timely and constructive way.

The board and staff keep up to date with policy developments by linking with other networks in Wales – such as Wales Environment Link (WEL) and Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) as well as other key organisations in the forestry sector.


Policy engagement

It is important that representations Llais y Goedwig makes to policy makers is based on real knowledge of community woodlands, gained by consulting Llais y Goedwig members or carrying out surveys to gather evidence.

We use evidence gathered from members and input from our Policy Advisory Group (a group of interested members and supporters with experience of policy advocacy) to make joint responses to consultations and policy reviews

Members can keep up to date with our work on Policy by reading regular Policy Blogs in the newsletter and on the website, or take an active part in policy advocacy by joining the Policy Advisory Group.


Woodlands and forests for the people of Wales

The trees, woodlands and forests of Wales play a crucial role in sustaining our communities, our local economies and our natural environment. Woodlands sit at the heart of Welsh culture and society. One of the first Policy oriented outputs of the fledgling Llais y Goedwig in 2011 was to produce a Manifesto for the Forests of Wales.

The Manifesto is a clear statement of how forests and woodlands could best serve the people of Wales. It is written to help us all  realise the potential of Welsh woodlands – for our communities and for a stronger Wales.

 The people of Wales, through the Welsh Government, own almost 40% of Welsh woodlands, covering 6% of the land area of Wales. We believe there is potential for greater public and community involvement in the management and use of woodland resources.


The Manifesto forms the basis of Llais y Goedwig’s engagement with policy makers

In summary, the Manifesto message is that LlyG’s members want the forests and woodlands of Wales to:

  • Be part of a healthy and bio-diverse landscape
  • Provide materials and resources to meet local needs
  • Offer opportunities for local employment
  • Connect people with the natural world
  • Be a focus for community well being
  • Contribute to learning and developing skills
  • Engage with civil society


To achieve this it will be necessary to:

  • Recognise the contribution that community woodlands can make to local sustainable development and to a sense of health and well-being
  • Give communities in Wales a voice in policy determination and the distribution of resources
  • Embed the concept of ‘localism’ within planning processes at the scale of functional communities (i.e. within walking distance)
  • Gain a much higher level of co-operation between forest and woodland owners, local communities and users than is currently the case, with an increasing emphasis on long term partnerships as opposed to short term plans.


      

  

   





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