How can we better protect the countryside?
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Ellen: "We've all got to protect the environment"
With the introduction of various lockdown restrictions across the UK over the last year, spending time in the countryside has given lots of people a chance to embrace the fresh air, keep active and for many, it's also had a positive impact on mental health.
Despite the many benefits of being outside in nature, not all visitors have taken proper care of the green spaces around them, and some places have been badly damaged as a result.
Last summer saw lots of litter left on the ground at some of the UK's beauty spots, flowers and plants were trampled on, dogs were left to freely roam across farmland and lots of dog owners failed to pick up their pet's poo.
Environmentalist and Natural England chair Tony Juniper CBE told us more about the changes
A survey from the charity Keep Britain Tidy found that more than half of the parks in the UK had to rely on extra resources to deal with issues like littering and anti-social behaviour, after the easing of the first lockdown last year.
Of the parks affected, 81% had to spend more on clearing up litter, 79% on bin emptying and 72% on maintaining public order or enforcing lockdown rules.
With Easter fast-approaching and lockdown rules around the UK easing, Natural England, which advises the government on the natural environment in the country, wants more people to think about ways in which they can help look after the environment while still enjoying it.
It's now updated the Countryside Code - it's guide for people visiting rural spaces across England.
Tony Juniper, who is the chair of Natural England, said: "The Countryside Code was first published 70 years ago. Of course, a lot has changed since then, including how much we now know that being outside in natural areas is really good for people's health and wellbeing.
"One of the changes that we're trying to achieve with this new Countryside Code is to encourage more people to go outside and enjoy the outdoors.
"This is less like it was before which was a set of rules and really is an encouraging set of guidelines to get people to want to go outside and enjoy natural areas so that they can benefit from it, but also to do it in a way that protects those places for other people."
What's included in the new Countryside Code?
Natural England spoke to over 4,000 people and organisations who love the countryside to help them make changes to the Code.
The latest code covers all green spaces, waterways, the coast and parks in towns and cities.
It promotes the idea that we can get more enjoyment from our environment by looking after it.
It advises people to be nice, say hello and to share green spaces with the people around them.
It reminds visitors to the countryside not to feed livestock, horses or wild animals, as this can harm them, and to stay on marked footpaths to help protect crops and wildlife.
It says that dog walkers should bag up dog poo and take it home if they can't find a public waste bin.
It's encourages people to get permission where needed before taking part in certain outdoor activities like freshwater swimming.
A big focus is all about making the countryside an inclusive place which everyone can enjoy.
"The research that we've done reveals that not everybody goes outside to enjoy the countryside and the outdoors with the same level of confidence," Tony said.
"People from lower incomes, people from ethnic minorities, they're amongst the groups that use the countryside much less. One of the reasons for that is because they're not used to going outside there, they've never really felt as though it's part of their world.
"Making everybody feel welcome is an incredibly important part of the country side code to encourage more people to get the benefits of being outside in natural areas."
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