The first purpose of designating the zone is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area.
The following distinctive features and their objectives contribute to the achievement of the first purpose, which conserves and enhances the zone's unique sense of place. The zone as a whole is unique. Conserving and enhancing it as an integrated environment provides a huge range of benefits that are beyond monetary value and become of ever greater importance as the regional and urban population grows and rates of change in the wider world accelerate.