A landowners' group, which represents members in the North-East and North Yorkshire has made a new appointment.
Carole Hodgson is the assistant regional director of the Country Land and Business Association representing 5,000 members in Northumberland, Durham, Cleveland, Cumbria, Cheshire and Lancashire.
A keen rider with farming connections, she has spent 23 years with the Lake District National Park Authority and lives in Kendal, Cumbria.
She said: "Anyone who lives in a rural area can see that the countryside is under threat from people who don't understand how it works, and don't understand the damage they can do through their ignorance of country ways.
"The countryside is about life and death, and that is an alien concept to many who come to enjoy the scenery and open spaces.
"These are provided and maintained by our farmers who are struggling to produce food under the existing regime, but are expected to provide a leisure facility, free of charge, for millions of visitors."
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