Rural communities and landscape change: a case study of Wild Ennerdale

Ennerdale Valley is located in the Lake District National Park of northwest England. The valley has been managed as coniferous plantation forest since the 1920s by the Forestry Commission (FC). Since 2002, however, the FC has been a partner (along with the National Trust and United Utilities) in the Wild Ennerdale (WE) rewilding initiative, which alongside a more a naturally evolving landscape, also aims to provide socio-economic benefits for the local community. This paper considers the relationship between WE and the cultural landscape of Ennerdale Valley and has identified disparities between the WE view of engagement and participation and corresponding feelings of alienation, dispossession, and dislocation expressed by some members of the local community. The paper presents an argument for stronger links between WE and the Ennerdale community. In particular, there needs to be much greater appreciation of the role the rural community has played, and continue to play, in shaping the landscape of Ennerdale. Recognition of this role is important in terms of delivering a sustainable future both for the valley and for WE.