National Parks are reserves of land, usually owned by national governments, which are protected from most human development.
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The idea behind nationalparks was firstformulated by the painter George Catlin in his travels through the North American West where he became concerned about the future of the Native Americans and the natural wonders which he encountered;-
| . . . by some great protecting policy of government . . . in a magnificent park . . . A nation's park, containing man and beast, in all the wild and freshness of their nature's beauty | | - 1832 |
The first attempt to create such a reserve was in the US where Abraham Lincoln signed an Act of Congress on June 30th, 1864 ceding the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove to the state of California:-
| . . . the said State shall accept this grant upon the express conditions that the premises shall he held for public use, resort, and recreation; shall be inalienable for all time . . . |
Problems with tourists and settlers in and around Yosemite and the desire to create more reserves, some crossing state boundaries, led to federal government ownership and Yellowstone National Park was established in 1871, as the world's first truly national park.
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In the crowded United Kingdom (and other countries) there are no areas of "wildrness" and the designation of an area as a national park does not entail national ownership of the land; conservation is instead enforced through planning regulations. The national parks of the UK typically include significant amounts of privately owned land, have a long tradition of agriculture, and contain small towns and public roads. There are eleven National Parks in England and Wales, protected for the conservation of their scenery, wildlife, cultural heritage and for the understanding and enjoyment which they can provide. They are not museums but are managed with local people to try and ensure that they remain places to live, visit, work in and enjoy.
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About 25% of the land surface of England and Wales is
built up and about 10% has been designated as National Parks. |
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