What is CMS?
The easiest way to find out is to view one of our web demonstrations.
CMS is a practical, logical and effective approach to management planning for sites of conservation and recreation importance. The approach is fully supported by the CMS database and mapping software. Its application extends to sites of nature conservation importance, including reserves, national parks, farms, industrial holdings as well as and country parks and heritage sites where a major objective is the provision of public access and enjoyment.
Whilst the database, CMS7 (or CMS NaturaPlan), fully supports the CMS Management Planning approach, it also supports most other management planning formats so is not restricted to the CMS approach.
CMS NaturaPlan is essentially a slightly customised CMS7 to help with the management of Natura2000 sites
For more details about the management planning approach or the software click the appropriate hyperlinks.
View all CMS related downloads (opens in a new window)
Can I use CMS in other languages?
CMS7 can also be translated into any language as the flexibility of the program allows the user to change all label names in the database. This is best done with help from exeGesIS but once it has been set up once, it is ready to use for all your users in that language.
Other elements like the CMS help file, software manuals and management planning manual are more straight forward translation jobs and can be organised locally.
This flexibility of CMS7 allows you both to translate all planning terminology into other languages and to use different planning terminology if you want.
Why should I use CMS?
Do you recognise these problems?
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Management plans that take ages to prepare but then sit on a shelf as they are only a hard copy document?
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A ‘yawning gap’ between what the plan says and what is done?
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Having a plethora of plan formats that hinders comparison between sites
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New staff having no information about previous site management or the effects of that management?
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Sites where the management reflects the interest and expertise of the staff so it keeps changing with changing staff?
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Arbitrary cutting of resources that are made without an evaluation of their impacts?
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No assessment of the management to see if it is having the desired outcome?
CMS solves these problems as it...
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Is a proven and logical approach to management planning supported by a sophisticated and customisable database
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Helps you to identify what is really important about your site and then produce and cost detailed work plans
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Is a project recording system as well as a planning system, so it allows efficient reporting on work completed and the outcomes of that work
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Considers management planning to be a process where you are continually adapting management after lessons learnt from monitoring and practice
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Can be used for a single site or as a powerful corporate tool for resource planning, monitoring and information sharing across any number of sites
The importance of planning is now appreciated by most environmental organisations. Many express a desire to share their experiences. To achieve this aim, information must be accessible. The first step is to adopt a standardised system that enables operational information to be stored in a retrievable form. The widespread uptake of CMS makes it an ideal platform from which to launch this sharing of data. The next step is to combine some of this information and to make it accessible to a wider range of conservation managers. The CMS project library, available to all its users, fulfils this important purpose.
CMS has been established for well over a decade and management arrangements have been put in place that will ensure CMS has a long term future. The backing of CMS by a consortia of leading conservation and land management organisations along with comprehensive software, support and training options provides assurance to new users that the CMS approach itself sustainable.
Who uses CMS?
CMS is used by many of the major conservation and land management organisations in the United Kingdom as well as overseas. There are presently several hundred CMS software licenses issued to over 250 organisations. Examples of CMS users include:
Governmental:
Non-Governmental:
Non-UK: