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| Surprise View, Peak District National Park |
Recent government turmoil in the USA, and the resulting national parks closure, are a good moment to think what national parks mean to us. Especially in the densely populated countries.
The Peak District National Park was the first of the 15 national parks in the United Kingdom. Here's a fragment of the Park's
Management Plan :
The national park contains a variety of landscapes. To the north
and east, broad open moorlands interspersed with grit stone formations
are characteristic of the Dark Peak and Moorland Fringes. To the east
the Derwent Valley is a varied landscape of river corridor habitats,
parklands and ancient woodlands rising to open moorland dominated by
grit stone edges. The White Peak to the south features elevated
limestone plateaux dissected by deeply cut dales and gorges, with
flower-rich grasslands of international importance. The White Peak is
home to most of the Peak District’s 38,000 residents, living in a
thriving network of small settlements and farmed land. The South West
Peak features mixed moorland and grassland landscapes with rock
outcrops.
The Peak District’s unique position at the heart of the country means
that around 16 million people live within one hour’s travel time of the
national park, enabling millions to easily enjoy its exceptional
natural beauty and outdoor recreation opportunities.
Throughout this plan, when we use the term landscape we do not simply
mean ‘the view’. It is about the relationship between people, place and
nature. It is the ever-changing backdrop to our daily lives. Landscapes
are subject to constant and sometimes unpredictable forces of change in
terms of both human activity, for example farming practices, and also
natural processes such as weather patterns. The aim is not just to
preserve a past landscape but to ensure that the special qualities which
create a sense of place are both maintained and enhanced into the
future. There is a need to protect our cherished landscapes whilst
accommodating some changes arising from social, economic and
environmental necessity.
