For a wilder future, National Parks must represent us all

Published: 26 November 2024

“National Parks are for people of every class and kind, from every part of the country. They are not for any privileged or otherwise restricted section of the population but for all who care to refresh their minds and spirits and exercise their bodies in a peaceful setting of natural beauty.” 

Those powerful words are of our founder John Dower, writing in 1945 – a vision for National Parks that still stands and resonates with so many of us today. And yet, we still have a long way to go to make that vision a reality.  

Today, so many people from across our nation are excluded from these most special landscapes. 

Despite the amazing efforts of so many communities and programmes (including Mosaic), the average National Park visitor is still most likely to be older, affluent, able-bodied and white. 

Our vision at Campaign for National Parks is: nature-rich National Parks for everyone. We know that this is more than just ensuring everyone can get outside, it’s also about representation and participation in decision making. Who better to oversee plans to tackle rural racism and outreach to marginalised communities, than those who have lived it? Who better, to oversee plans to scale up nature recovery, than those with understanding? Who better to think about the legacy we leave for future generations, than the young people of today? Diversity in the running of our National Parks is absolutely fundamental to ensuring they can fulfil their purposes: conserving and enhancing wildlife, natural beauty and cultural heritage, whilst enabling the public to enjoy them. 

National Park Authorities have a huge job to do in the face of the climate and nature crisis and the rise of poor mental and physical health. That job has been made the more difficult by funding cuts. But it’s impossible without a major change in how these bodies are governed. A recent investigation by the Guardian found that England’s National Park Authorities are ill equipped to lead the changes needed, overseen by mostly white boards. It found that of the 225 Board Members that run the Parks, 70% are men and less than 2% are people of colour. Nature is rarely on agenda at Board meetings. It’s clear, we need a change in culture and in law, removing the strict requirements, and enabling smaller and diverse Boards with appointments made on the basis of relevant skills, expertise and lived experiences. 

Within Campaign for National Parks we are working to change our small charity to ensure we have the diversity of skills and perspectives we need to champion and advocate for change and collaborate to build a culture of inclusion.  This means being an anti-racist organisation and championing social justice: in how we work as a staff team, as a Board, as a membership body, and being courageous in our campaigning. 

Launched last year, our strategy purposely sets out our intentions to centre social and environmental justice in our campaigns. Right now, we are looking for two new Trustees to join our Board who can help us ensure that National Parks are representative, inclusive and relevant to the nation today.  

This is not a nice to do, it’s an existential risk: National Parks must deliver what an increasingly diverse and modern nation needs into the future.