Celebrate the awesome beauty of the National Parks #summerofbeauty

20 June 2018

We are launching our #summerofbeauty campaign and we are calling on you to join us in celebrating & improving the awe-inspiring beauty of National Parks

What does beauty mean? Campaign for National Parks’ founders (way back in the 1930’s) believed that areas of the country needed to be protected for the good of the nation – to ensure that the beauty of these areas would be preserved but also to make sure they were accessible for everyone to enjoy. This led to the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act and the designation of our favourite parts of the countryside as National Parks.

The original first purpose of the National Parks in the Act was stated as ‘preserving and enhancing the natural beauty of the areas’ and natural beauty was defined as ‘including flora, fauna, and geological and physiographical features’.

So for us, beauty has always more than just aesthetics. As we approach the 70^th anniversary of the legislation that underpins the English and Welsh National Parks, the Parks remain as important and valuable as ever. But the Parks are far from perfect. We want to make the parks even more beautiful.

Dragon’s breath by Grant Hyatt. Showing the breath taking beauty of the Brecon Beacons. 

What does that mean? While we recognise the high quality of National Park landscapes – we want them to be teeming with more wildlife and diverse habitats, contain important sites of cultural heritage along with thriving communities.

In the coming weeks we will hear from projects from across the National Parks working hard to enhance the landscape, we will be launching our own report on improving wildlife in the Parks and we will be calling for changes to make our Parks more beautiful. Flourishing nature in our National Parks can help us meet the biggest challenges of our time. Whether it is mitigating the impacts of climate change, providing opportunities for recreation and the rural economy or boosting our mental and physical health.

How can we improve wildlife in our National Parks? Photo credit: Wynand Van Poortvliet.

Achieving change won’t be easy. There is not a simple way of improving the Parks. That’s why we need your support. Throughout our #summerofbeauty we will be throwing a spotlight onto the many complex issues facing wildlife and landscapes in the National Parks. We want you to join us.

Alongside our campaigning efforts we will also be celebrating the everyday and awe-inspiring beauty of the Parks. Whether that’s a delicate dragonfly, clouded shadows cast on the mountainside, glittering river valleys or a riot of colourful wild flowers. Through #summerofbeauty we want you to share these amazing moments with us.

Let’s show people the amazing beauty out there worth protecting! #summerofbeauty

Waterfall picture is from Brecon Beacons National Park. Photo credit: Nigel Forster and Brecon Beacons National Park Authority.