Blackheath is owned by the Lord of the Manor of Lewisham (south of the A2) and the Crown as part of the Royal Manor of East Greenwich (north of the A2). However, since 1871 it has been held in trust for public benefit by successive local authorities through the Blackheath Supplement to the Metropolitan Commons Act of 1866.
Management of the Heath passed from the original Metropolitan Board of Works, via the London County Council to the Greater London Council. On the abolition of the GLC in 1986, management was split between the boroughs of Greenwich and Lewisham. To ease the problems caused by the lack of a single body with responsibility for managing Blackheath, the two councils established the Blackheath Joint Working Party to provide some degree of co-ordination for the maintenance of the Heath.
The Joint Working Party is attended by councillors and officers from both boroughs, along with representatives of amenity groups, notably the Blackheath Society and the Greenwich Society, and conservation organisations such as the London Ecology Unit and London Wildlife Trust. There is free public access at all times.
The considerable improvements to the ecology of the Heath in recent years are due largely to initiatives of the Joint Working Party. It is to be hoped that this trend will continue in the future. While the management of Blackheath must always seek a compromise between nature conservation, sports and recreation, there is still a lot which can be done to improve the Heath for wild plants and animals.