Natural England has just published a spatial analysis of MENE - Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment, a survey commissioned by Natural England, Defra and the Forestry Commission to provide baseline and trend data on how people use the natural environment in England.
The report presents the findings from spatial analyses of the first two years' survey data, gathered between March 2009 and February 2011 (all links provided below).
The survey was commissioned in order to:
• Understand how people use, enjoy and are motivated to protect the natural environment.
• Provide data that monitors changes in use and enjoyment of the natural environment over time at a range of different spatial scales and for key groups within the population.
Key results:
The main focus of the survey is on day visits to the natural environment, and by visits NE mean time spent outdoors in the natural environment, away from the home and private gardens. It tells us:
• MENE tells us that the English adult population took some 5.4 billion visits to the natural environment during the period March 2009 to February 2011. Visits to the countryside account for the majority (50 percent), although green spaces in towns and cities also feature prominently (39 percent). In total 11 percent of visits were taken in seaside locations.
• During the period March 2009 to February 2011, MENE estimates that the English adult population spent a total of £37.4 billion on visits, with the largest spends being on food and drink, transport costs such as fuel and parking, admission fees, and gifts or souvenirs. Around a quarter of visits to the natural environment involve expenditure.
• Visitors from urban areas produce the biggest boost for the economy, with the average amount spent being around £7.70 – significantly higher than the average spent by a visitor from a rural or town/fringe area (£4.98 and £4.05 respectively).
• Overall two thirds (66 percent) of visits involve a journey of less than 2 miles, while only four percent involve over 40 miles of travel.
• Almost 2 in 5 visitors (37 percent) to mountains, hills and moorlands are in the older ‘Mature Explorers’ market segment.
• Reflecting the greater proportion of visits taken with children to places such as parks, visits taken in urban green spaces were more likely than those taken to Country Parks to be motivated by the chance to spend time with family or friends (26 percent and 19 percent respectively).
• The majority of visits taken to woodland and farmland were taken to exercise a dog (67 per cent and 68 percent respectively) while most visits to mountains, hills and moorland were taken for personal health and exercise (62 percent).
• In fact over the period March 2009 to February 2011, almost one fifth of the population (17 percent) responded that on average they had visited the natural environment only once or twice or less over the previous 12 months.
NFU analysis
The MENE Spatial Report is useful assessment of how people access the countryside. It provides a useful resource for partners that can be interrogated to get more local detail to show which places people visit, how far they will travel and where the opportunities for enjoying the environment are in relation to where people live. This may be of interest to LEPs, NIA and LNPs, amongst others, as part of their evidence base.
There are no surprises with the majority of people accessing the countryside travelling less than 2 miles. Over two thirds of people visiting farmland were taking the dog for a walk. The average spend being £7.70 for urban visitors, undermining the argument of spin out benefits to the rest of the economy created by better access.
More information
The reports can be accessed through the Natural England website and contain much more detail and graphics. In addition to the spatial report there is the annual survey report and monthly analysis.
Link to Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment Spatial Report
Link to MENE Annual Report 2010 -2011 Survey results
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