Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Wales

There are five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs)^[b] in Wales, known from November 2023 as National Landscapes (Welsh: Tirwedd Cenedlaethol).^[1] AONBs are areas of countryside that have been designated for statutory protection, due to their significant landscape value, by initially the Government of the United Kingdom and later Welsh devolved bodies. Of the current five areas designated, four are wholly in Wales, with another spanning the Wales-England border, and in total AONBs account for 4% of Wales' land area.

The responsibility of designating areas in recognition of their national importance is devolved to Wales and performed by Natural Resources Wales (formerly the Countryside Council for Wales), on behalf of the Welsh Government. The designation is also used in England, and Northern Ireland. Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty enjoy levels of protection from development similar to those of Welsh national parks, but unlike national parks, the responsible AONB bodies do not have their own planning powers, instead are performed by local authorities. They also differ from national parks in their more limited opportunities for extensive outdoor recreation. The Welsh Government had proposed that the designation be renamed to National Landscapes of Wales, however, they did not follow through with the proposals. In November 2023, all AONBs across England and Wales were to be renamed "National Landscapes".^[2]

Of the five, the Gower AONB was the first area to be designated in Wales in 1956, and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB is the most recent, designated as the Clwydian Range AONB in 1985, and expanded to the Dee Valley in 2011.

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