Just 6% of national park land in England and Wales is effectively managed for nature, according to a damning new report.
The charity Campaign for National Parks (CNP) has published the first full assessment of how national parks are supporting nature recovery.
The report says national parks, which cover 10% of England and 20% of Wales and celebrate their 75th anniversary this year, are failing to restore nature due to chronic underfunding and because they were designed for a different era. He says there is no.
National parks are important refuges for declining species such as the cuckoo, but a new report finds many species are failing to serve that purpose (Dennis Morrison).
lack of funds
Direct government funding for parks has been cut by 40% in real terms since 2010, with most national parks receiving only a few million pounds. This is equivalent to the annual budget of a small junior high school.
Ruth Bradshaw, CNP’s policy manager, said: “National parks are special places and are the last refuge for beleaguered species such as the northern harrier, cuckoo and many more.”
“Nature in our national parks is not immune from the dangers occurring elsewhere, but we have a huge opportunity to restore it to health. We need urgent action and big changes. Governments need to strengthen laws and significantly increase resources for conservation in national parks. ”
conservation of wild spaces
National parks are key to achieving the UK’s commitment to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030, but nature continues to retreat in these protected areas.
Peatlands, which store carbon and make up 43% of the land in national parks, are in poor condition. An estimated 1% of Dartmoor’s deep peat areas are in a healthy condition, according to the CNP report.
In the five years up to 2020, there has been virtually no change in forest cover across national parks, and the condition of rivers and lakes has worsened. In 2013, 47% of rivers in national parks were judged to be in good condition, but this has decreased to 39% in 2022.
Apart from a lack of funding, national parks are struggling to recover because only 13.7% of their land is publicly owned, with the majority being privately owned and managed as agricultural land. Much of this land has suffered from natural loss associated with the intensification of agriculture in other parts of the UK over the past 75 years.
Required changes
The CNP report said part of the problem is that national parks were created 75 years ago to address concerns of urbanization. Wildlife protection is one of the parks’ statutory duties, but the park has not changed its mission to reflect the climate and extinction crisis of the 21st century.
CNP calls for a new deal on national parks, with the government doubling core national park funding to restore 2010 funding levels and making conservation and restoration a clear new priority are doing.
The government has banned all heath burning in national parks (a common practice in shooting estates), banned all forestry plantations on peat soils of any depth (which degrades peatlands and reduces carbon emissions). actions that may cause an increase), and are seeking permission from the forest. Grouse buds were planted to reduce the illegal persecution of endangered species such as harriers.
It also calls on government agencies such as the Ministry of Defense and Forestry, as well as water companies, to remediate areas that have suffered historical damage such as pollution, replant peatlands with coniferous trees, and pay for the removal of unexploded ordnance. There is. Repair costs are much higher.
