UK
National parks celebrate 75 years since creation under 1945 Labour governmentIN NORTH AMERICA NATIONAL PARKS HAVE EXISTED SINCE 1900
Yesterday
Left Foot Forward
‘Like the NHS, National Parks and access to the countryside are much beloved by the nation’
‘Like the NHS, National Parks and access to the countryside are much beloved by the nation’
This week marks the 75th anniversary of national parks, a landmark achievement of Clement Attlee’s post-war Labour government.
The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, which established the parks, was passed into law exactly 75 years ago yesterday.
The legislation also introduced nature protections, including sites of special scientific interest, nature reserves, and protected paths across England and Wales.
A cross-party group of MPs tabled an Early Day Motion earlier this month celebrating the 75th anniversary of national parks and commending Labour ministers, including Lewis Silkin, who championed the creation of these protected areas.
The charity Campaign for National Parks has noted that the purpose of the legislation, hailed as a People’s Charter, was to “enable all citizens, no matter their background, to immerse themselves in the wonders of nature”.
Marking the anniversary, the charity Campaign for National Parks, has called for the government to ‘renew’ the People’s Charter, stating that “we have the opportunity to build on Labour’s historical legacy of National Parks and access to the countryside”.
The charity stated that “Like the NHS, National Parks and access to the countryside are much beloved by the nation; offering opportunities to connect with nature and improved health and well-being.”
Campaign for National Parks highlighted that these green spaces contain “some of the rarest species” on the brink of extinction and the “last fragments of precious habitat”.
Dr Rose O’Neill, Chief executive of Campaign for National Parks said: “When drawing up the first laws to protect National Parks, legislators could not comprehend the nature and climate emergency.”
However, O’Neill warned: “Our Health Check shows that nature in England’s National Parks is in rapid decline and there are also large inequalities in who visits and governs National Parks.
“We should rightly celebrate the 1949 legacy, but to secure the future, we urgently must invest in our National Parks and reform them, with strengthened powers to set a clear mandate for nature and fix broken governance.”
Image credit: Chris Hepburn, Campaign for National Parks
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, which established the parks, was passed into law exactly 75 years ago yesterday.
The legislation also introduced nature protections, including sites of special scientific interest, nature reserves, and protected paths across England and Wales.
A cross-party group of MPs tabled an Early Day Motion earlier this month celebrating the 75th anniversary of national parks and commending Labour ministers, including Lewis Silkin, who championed the creation of these protected areas.
The charity Campaign for National Parks has noted that the purpose of the legislation, hailed as a People’s Charter, was to “enable all citizens, no matter their background, to immerse themselves in the wonders of nature”.
Marking the anniversary, the charity Campaign for National Parks, has called for the government to ‘renew’ the People’s Charter, stating that “we have the opportunity to build on Labour’s historical legacy of National Parks and access to the countryside”.
The charity stated that “Like the NHS, National Parks and access to the countryside are much beloved by the nation; offering opportunities to connect with nature and improved health and well-being.”
Campaign for National Parks highlighted that these green spaces contain “some of the rarest species” on the brink of extinction and the “last fragments of precious habitat”.
Dr Rose O’Neill, Chief executive of Campaign for National Parks said: “When drawing up the first laws to protect National Parks, legislators could not comprehend the nature and climate emergency.”
However, O’Neill warned: “Our Health Check shows that nature in England’s National Parks is in rapid decline and there are also large inequalities in who visits and governs National Parks.
“We should rightly celebrate the 1949 legacy, but to secure the future, we urgently must invest in our National Parks and reform them, with strengthened powers to set a clear mandate for nature and fix broken governance.”
Image credit: Chris Hepburn, Campaign for National Parks
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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