Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) has been a designation used for conservation purposes in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Examples are Cornwall, the Cotswolds, the Norfolk Coast, and the North Pennines. AONBs in England and Wales will be called National Landscapes in future as a rebranding is underway (February 2024). Scotland has its own designation called a National Scenic Area (NSA).

There are 46 coastal and countryside AONBs. They differ from the UK National Parks in many respects, especially as they do not have development planning authority.