What’s your favourite way to spend time in National Parks? Whether you enjoy pushing yourself with adrenaline-pumping adventures or connecting with friends and family on local walks, these amazing landscapes have something for everyone.
More than places for recreation, they are a vital part of our country’s natural and cultural heritage. Here’s why it’s time to come together to fight for their future.
Where better to adventure into the countryside than in National Parks? From water sport enthusiasts to intrepid hikers, these areas welcome millions of visitors each year.
The waters off the Pembrokeshire Coast and the lakes of the Lake District, the rugged mountains of Eryri and the breathtaking views out to sea from the South Downs, National Parks provide many opportunities to get outdoors and connect with nature for the benefit of our physical and mental wellbeing.
To local communities, properly managed tourism brings vital revenue, supporting local businesses and creating jobs. By exploring responsibly, visitors build personal connections that set them up to cherish and protect these wild places.
Options like regenerative tourism and promoting responsible access are great ways to preserve these landscapes for future generations of visitors to enjoy.
The 13 National Parks in England and Wales are living landscapes home to hundreds and thousands of people, with many more commuting in for work.
Farmers in National Parks provide food that feeds us all and with the right support, they can be at the forefront of safeguarding national food production for future generations. Uniquely placed to manage land for wildlife as well as productivity, there are many great examples of families and businesses spearheading this change across all Protected Landscapes.
Legislation that works alongside these communities and infrastructure development within National Parks for the benefit of local people as well as visitors will ensure their cultural legacy continues to grow in years to come.
Over land, coast and freshwater, National Parks are home to unique and diverse wildlife.
Often, the last refuge of some of our most endangered species lies within a National Park boundary. Like the Broads, home to more than a quarter of the rarest wildlife in the country, or the South Downs where many globally rare chalk streams flow.
The variety of habitats found within National Parks means that together they represent a key opportunity for nature recovery, and restoring the biodiversity within these areas is crucial not only to the local environment but to the health of ecosystems across the country.
Recognising the crucial role protected nature sites in National Parks can play is key to our country’s overall achievement of a just ecological future.
Fundamentally, National Parks are places for all of us. They are landscapes that support our wellbeing, livelihoods and natural environment beyond their immediate boundaries. Far from being places for a select few, that benefit either me or you, they are built on the principles of fair and equal access and continue to serve all of us collectively.
While many of us have personal connections to National Parks, through precious memories or as favourite places to visit, these landscapes remain unfamiliar to a majority. Action must be taken at all levels to make National Parks places everyone can feel a part of. By ensuring they are welcoming to and cherished by all, we can foster a shared understanding of their importance — and the importance of fighting for their future.
By connecting the actions of visitors and residents, legislators and conservationists to a vision of nature-rich National Parks for all, we can work in collaboration towards positive change, for all of us.
There are 13 National Parks in England and Wales. No two National Parks are the same, each has its own unique and distinct heritage, landscapes, communities and nature. To help you get to know them better we’ve pulled together the key facts and figures for each National Park.
There are lots of different issues facing National Parks in England and Wales. We are working hard to campaign for changes and improvement to our Parks which benefits nature, people and planet.
Labour's commitment to economic growth and social justice should recognise the vital role nature-rich National Parks can play in prosperity and community wellbeing.
