NEWS BLIPS
National Parks in the UK Gaining More Attention
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through Mother Nature Network's website.
As America’s national parks adjust to a strange and precarious new reality in which seemingly nothing is certain, a new review of national parks launched by the British government offers reassurance that existing parks in the U.K. will be even better off than they are now 10, 15, 50 years down the line. And there might be a whole lot more of them, to boot. "Amid a growing population, changes in technology, and a decline in certain habitats, the time is right for us to look afresh at these landscapes," says Environment Secretary Michael Gove. "We want to make sure they are not only conserved, but enhanced for the next generation."
According to MNN writer Matt Hickman, "Different than U.S National Parks, British national parks are not wholly owned by a governmental entity but by a motley mix of interests including private landowners, conservation charities such as the National Trust and individual, government-funded authorities." Yet despite being stuck at 15 parks for nearly a decade, the U.K. could soon see an uptick in protected natural areas boasting official national park designation as part of an effort to, in the words of the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), "meet our needs in the 21st century." In fact, the recently launched review into improving and potentially expanding national parks across the U.K. takes a markedly different approach than that of the Ryan Zinke-headed United States Department of the Interior. England's Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs emphasizes in a press release, the review’s impact on existing national parks — how they can be bolstered to better protect wildlife and serve the public as the population rapidly expands and certain habitats fall into decline.
For more information on the campaign for UK National Parks and the full article on Mother Mature Network (MNN), click here.