https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/01/diversity-drive-make-countryside-less-white/?msockid=22fd28a7ea6567c4380f3e53eb016620
The plans follow Defra-commissioned reports that claimed the countryside would become “irrelevant” in a multicultural society, as it was a “white environment” principally enjoyed by the “white middle class”. National Landscapes – previously called areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) – and their local councils have since committed to a number of diversity targets. The Chilterns National Landscape team has set out proposals that include community outreach schemes to attract more Muslims to the area, particularly from nearby Luton. More diverse staff will be recruited, marketing material will be produced featuring people visibly from ethnic minorities, and written in “community languages”. Research has also been commissioned to support this work, some of which suggests that dogs should be kept under tighter control, as some groups are scared of them.
Malvern Hills National Landscape said in proposals: “Many minority peoples have no connection to nature in the UK because their parents and their grandparents did not feel safe enough to take them or had other survival preoccupations.” It added: “While most white English users value the solitude and contemplative activities which the countryside affords, the tendency for ethnic minority people is to prefer social company (family, friends, schools).” One concern was that rural facilities “cater to white English culture”, namely: “Protected landscapes were closely associated with ‘traditional’ pubs, which have limited food options and cater to people who have a drinking culture. Accordingly, Muslims from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi group said this contributed to a feeling of being unwelcome.”
https://archive.ph/s8iyT
The plans follow Defra-commissioned reports that claimed the countryside would become “irrelevant” in a multicultural society, as it was a “white environment” principally enjoyed by the “white middle class”. National Landscapes – previously called areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) – and their local councils have since committed to a number of diversity targets. The Chilterns National Landscape team has set out proposals that include community outreach schemes to attract more Muslims to the area, particularly from nearby Luton. More diverse staff will be recruited, marketing material will be produced featuring people visibly from ethnic minorities, and written in “community languages”. Research has also been commissioned to support this work, some of which suggests that dogs should be kept under tighter control, as some groups are scared of them.
Malvern Hills National Landscape said in proposals: “Many minority peoples have no connection to nature in the UK because their parents and their grandparents did not feel safe enough to take them or had other survival preoccupations.” It added: “While most white English users value the solitude and contemplative activities which the countryside affords, the tendency for ethnic minority people is to prefer social company (family, friends, schools).” One concern was that rural facilities “cater to white English culture”, namely: “Protected landscapes were closely associated with ‘traditional’ pubs, which have limited food options and cater to people who have a drinking culture. Accordingly, Muslims from the Pakistani and Bangladeshi group said this contributed to a feeling of being unwelcome.”
https://archive.ph/s8iyT