We need to talk about…National Parks
Our chief executive Fiona Howie talks about why we’re launching our new blog and survey
National Parks are inspiring and breath-taking areas of our country. They are part of our cultural heritage, are important for wildlife, contain beautiful landscapes and benefit the nation. It’s wonderful that more than 100 million people visit the Parks in England and Wales each year. But they are, of course, also living and working landscapes.
That is certainly the view of all of us at Campaign for National Parks. But, I would not claim they are perfect. And while that might seem slightly controversial, I believe most people who love and enjoy the National Parks, whether they are visitors or live within their boundaries, might be able to point to at least one change that might make them even better.
This year the Campaign for National Parks is celebrating our 80th anniversary. While part of that is about celebrating our achievements during those eight decades, we also want to look ahead. We want to make sure that the Parks remain relevant, used, lived in and loved for the next 80 years. And to make sure that is the case we want to involve as many people as possible in a Big Conversation about National Parks.
To kick that off, we want to hear from you about what you like about the Parks, but also, and perhaps more importantly, what you think might make the Parks even better.
And yes, we want to hear from the people who use the Parks and think they’re brilliant. But we also want to hear from thos
e of you who live in the Parks and might have thoughts on what could make sure the communities with them really are vibrant and sustainable. Or, if you’ve never even been in a National Park because you don’t think they’re for you, we want to hear from you too.
So, please fill in our survey and tell us what you think. And flag it up to your friends and ask them to tell us what they think. We really want to know!
I can’t promise that we will be able to fix everything. And we might not agree with everything we hear. But we want to hear from as many people as possible to inform our thinking about what, if anything, might need to change to make sure future generations have National Parks they can enjoy and value.