National Parks are thought of by the public as nature-rich spaces, but just how nature-rich are they? Robson Peisley dives into the ‘Health Check Report’ released earlier this year by Campaign for National Parks, providing an insight into the state of UK National Parks.
National Parks, such as the South Downs (pictured), are perceived by the public to be nature-rich but how does this compare to the evidence available? Photo Credit: Robson Peisley
Across the UK there are 15 National Parks, with 10 in England, 3 in Wales, and 2 in Scotland. They cover a diverse range of British landscapes encompassing mountains, lakes, moorlands, and more. Whilst public perception of National Parks is that they are for nature, in the UK they are also designated for their historical significance, landscapes, cultural heritage, and geology. They differ from other countries, where National Parks are government-owned, managed areas with no permanent human settlements. Instead, UK National Parks are landscape designations, largely in private ownership, that are managed by a National Park Authority which acts as a planning authority in conjunction with local councils. Under the Environment Act UK, National Park Authorities have two main roles:
● to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Park.
● to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the National Parks by the public.
Earlier this year, the Campaign for National Parks released the first full assessment of nature recovery in the 12 National Parks of England and Wales. But what did this report reveal and what are the 5 key takeaways?
1. 43% of land cover in English National Parks is peatland.
Peatlands are renowned internationally as being incredibly effective carbon sinks, solidifying their role as a nature-based solution to the ongoing climate crisis. Photo Credit: Alan Hughes via Wikimedia Commons
Peatlands are a massive carbon sink - with their large proportion of peatland cover, National Park landscapes are in a unique position to play a role in the climate crisis. It is estimated that peatlands in English and Welsh national parks have the potential to sequester 80 million tonnes of carbon. With UK National Parks recently signing up to the Race to Zero, it is clear that climate is a priority within our National Parks.
2. Roughly 15% of National Parks are woodland but there is a potential for 35% woodland cover.
Woodlands also have the ability to support carbon capture, and there are already lots of tree-planting schemes on local, national and international scales. Research which fed into the report found that woodland cover could more than double in National Parks without infringing on other important habitats and land uses. This highlights how National Parks have the potential to support the ambitious woodland expansion targets set by the UK Government.
3. 39% of rivers in English National Parks achieved ‘Good’ ecological status or higher, more than twice the countrywide figure.
There are ongoing concerns nationally about the impact of pollution on our waterways and their biodiversity. Photo Credit: Adrian S Pye via Wikimedia Commons
There has been lots of media coverage about the declining health of our rivers in the UK, largely due to sewage overflows and excessive agricultural runoff. One good piece of news is that the number of rivers with ‘High’ or ‘Good’ ecological status is twice as high in National Parks. The story was not the same for lakes, however, where only marginally more have ‘Good’ or higher ecological status compared to their non-National Park counterparts.
National Parks face pollution threats just like the rest of the country, including those from sewage discharge. Data which fed into the report has revealed that in 2022, 377 sewage releases from storm overflows occurred within English and Welsh National Park boundaries. This led to a staggering 176,818 hours of sewage release into waterways, equivalent to 7367 days.
4. National Parks are a refuge for many threatened UK species and are key locations for species reintroductions. However, certain National Parks are disproportionately affected by wildlife persecution.
National Parks are acting as a stronghold for many threatened species and are even the locations for many species reintroductions, such as that of the beaver. Photo Credit: Tomek Goździewicz via Wikimedia Commons
With almost 1 in 6 UK species at risk of extinction, there is ongoing work nationwide to conserve wildlife. Reassuringly, many priority list species are found across all our National Parks, including birds such as the hen harrier, curlew, and cuckoo. Other endangered species are not as common across all National Parks, but there are strongholds in some. For example, red squirrels have been spotted in 3 different National Parks despite significant national declines. Species recovery is also prominent in National Parks, with beavers having been reintroduced in all but 3 English and Welsh National Parks.
Whilst the wildlife, habitats, and level of recording varies significantly between National Parks, it is obvious that they are refuges for wildlife. Eryri (formerly known as Snowdonia) has the most species recorded of any National Park, with over 9000 different species recorded within its boundaries since 2000!
However, there are still threats to wildlife within National Parks. Birds of prey, commonly known as raptors, face persecution across the UK with very limited conviction rates. In the last five years, 62 incidents of raptor persecution were reported in National Parks. However, 90% of these incidents occurred in just three of the National Parks. Issues such as raptor persecution are national issues and are not confined to our National Parks, highlighting that for some issues national action is needed.
5. Most National Park Authorities own very little land, and public land ownership in National Parks sits at around 14%.
The New Forest (pictured) has the highest level of public land ownership across all National Parks in England and Wales. Photo Credit: Caroline Legg via Wikimedia Commons
As previously stated, National Park Authorities own very little land within their boundaries, owing to the designation National Parks have in the UK. This means that a large portion of their work is achieved through partnerships, and they have limits on their influence. Furthermore, the amount of public land ownership within their boundaries is also low. In terms of National Park Authority land ownership, Bannau Brycheiniog (previously known as the Brecon Beacons) owns the most at 13%, and overall 14% of all National Park land is in some sort of public land ownership (including both Government organisations and NGOs). The New Forest has the highest rate of public land ownership at 47.4%, whereas the Yorkshire Dales has the lowest at 0.3%.
This report has highlighted that National Parks are working to and can be nature-rich landscapes. However, they are not immune to ongoing national environmental threats and these need to be addressed in order to facilitate further nature recovery.
Comments