National Parks

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National Parks

• National Parks in the UK are extensive areas,
  each with their own managing authority
• In other countries National Parks are usually
  established primarily for wildlife conservation

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What are National Parks?
There are 12 National Parks in England and
Wales. The New Forest became a National Park in
2005. The South Downs is currently in the
process of being designated a National Park.
There are two National Parks in Scotland The
Cairngorms, and Loch Lomand the Trossachs.
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What are National Parks?
National Parks are protected areas of natural
beauty. The areas include mountains, moorland,
heathland, woodland and coasts. National Parks
are not theme parks they are not fenced off and
people live and work in them. Each National Park
is managed by a National Park Authority (NPA),
which works to balance the needs of the
landscape, the residents and the visitors.
Snowdonia
Exmoor
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The Aims of National Parks

• The statutory purposes of National Parks as
  stated in the  Environment Act, 1995 are
• to conserve and enhance the natural beauty,
  wildlife and cultural heritage of the National
  Parks.
• to promote opportunities for the understanding
  and enjoyment of the special qualities of the
  National Parks by the public.
• The National Park Authorities also have a duty to
  seek to foster the economic and social well-being
  of local communities within the National Parks.

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Why are National Parks Different to Country Parks?

• A country park is an area designated for people
  to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside
  environment.
• There are over 270 country parks in England most
  of which are owned and managed by local
  authorities.
• Country Parks are a lasting and popular legacy of
  the provisions of the Countryside Act 1968.
• We will come back to Country Parks in a few
  lessons time

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Lake District

• - The Lake District is
  England's biggest and probably best
  known National Park.
• - 2,292 sq km of moorland
  and fell. 
• 16 lakes, of which Windermere is the largest.
• - Around Skiddaw, and in the south of the Park,
  are angular and rounded hills the central area,
  including Scafell Pike, is wild and rugged
  country
• Crowded in summer, Windermere and Ambleside are
  boating and touring centers.
• The Lake District National Park was created by
  the National Parks and Access to the Countryside
  Act 1949 and came into being on 15 August 1951.
• It is looked after by the Lake District National
  Park Authority.
• http//www.lake-district.gov.uk/index.htm

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Major honeypot areas in the Lake District
Major honeypot areas
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Why do people visit the Lake District?
Study the photographs!
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Why do people visit the Lake District?

• Cool, clear lakes, tarns and rivers
• Ancient woodlands - rich in Atlantic mosses and
  liverworts, ferns and lichen. Presence of wood
  pasture, pollards and old coppice woodland form
  part of the rich cultural heritage of the
  National Park.
• Diverse landscape - mix of lakes, farmland, fell,
  woodland and settlement.
• Wealth of wildlife - abundant and varied
  freshwater habitats. Key habitats include mires,
  limestone pavement, upland heath, screes and
  artic-alpine communities, lakeshore wetlands,
  estuary, coastal heath and dunes.
• Opportunities to enjoy outdoor activities...
• Open nature of the fells

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Why do people visit the Lake District?

• Complex geology - record of nearly 500 million
  years.
• Concentration of common land - the largest
  concentration of common land in Britain.
  Collective management is characterised by
  landlords' flocks and the use of traditional
  breeds including Herdwick sheep.
• Rich archaeology - Internationally important
  archaeological monuments include stone circles,
  Roman roads and forts, and charcoal blast
  furnaces. The high rainfall has assisted water
  power as a prime source of energy for mining,
  gunpowder and wood-processing industries.
• Distinctive settlement character - Local
  materials, including types of slate. Finishes
  such as lime wash, and the use of sandstone,
  granite and limestone. Dry stone walls and
  hedgerows. Chimneys, windows and walling, and
  structures such as hogg houses, peat houses,
  packhorse bridges and bank barns reflect local
  building practices.
• Celebrated cultural traditions - writers and
  environmentalists have campaigned for landscape
  protection. Artists and writers, such as
  Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter have gained
  inspiration from the area.

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What are the consequences of tourism in the Lake
District?
Study the photographs!
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Topic 11 Land Use Resources

• 1.) A landowner has been refused planning
  permission to build and run a café on the banks
  of a lake which is situated inside a National
  Park. The landowner has obtained a petition,
  signed by over 100 visitors to the lake,
  supporting the idea of developing the café.
  Arguing that the development of the café is
  consistent with the purpose of the National Park,
  the landowner intends to appeal against the
  decision.
• (a) Suggest two reasons why planning permission
  has been refused (2 marks)
• (b) Suggest why the development of the café might
  be considered consistent with the purpose of the
  National Park (2 marks)

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Topic 11 Land Use Resources

• 1 (a)
• Spoil scenery/unsightly
• Attract crowds/cause congestion/act as honey
  pot/encourage development/car parks
• Existing provision
• Wildlife/habitat disturbance/trampling/waste/water
  pollution/litter MAX 2
• 1 (b)
• Will generate income for locals/economic purpose
  of park reference to recreation/attracting or
  catering for visitors/amenity. MAX 2

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Conflicts and Problems
Locals
Visitors
The Lake District National Park
Economic Uses E.g. Quarrying
Second Homes
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Today

• Given more time to work on your speeches and
  potential answers to questions that may be posed
  to you during the public enquiry
• Public Enquiry is held
• Secretary of State for Department of Environment
  makes their final decision after the enquiry is
  held

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• Secretary of State for Environment, Food and
  Rural Affairs The Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP
• Leads on
• Overall responsibility for all Departmental
  issues
• Represents the UK at the EU Agriculture and
  Fisheries Council at the EU Environmental Council
  
• Leads for the UK in other international
  negotiations on sustainable development.

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Public Enquiries

• Held when there is a disagreement and for all
  large developments e.g. major roads, power
  stations, airports, mines etc. Then
• Environmental Impact Assessments done to ensure
  that every possible impact in the planning
  process is considered
• Leopold Matrix used to illustrate how the
  importance of individual issues can be quantified
  and compared

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Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

• EIA is a procedure that must be followed for
  certain types of development before they are
  granted development consent.
• The requirement for EIA comes from a European
  Directive (85/33/EEC as amended by 97/11/EC).
• The procedure requires the developer to compile
  an Environmental Statement (ES) describing the
  likely significant effects of the development on
  the environment and proposed mitigation measures.
  
• The ES must be circulated to statutory
  consultation bodies (e.g. Environmental Agency,
  English Nature) and made available to the public
  for comment.
• Its contents, together with any comments, must be
  taken into account by the competent authority
  (e.g. local planning authority) before it may
  grant consent.

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Leopold Matrix

• A qualitative environmental impact assessment
  method, used to identify the potential
  environmental impact of a project on the
  environment.
• The system consists in a matrix with columns
  representing the various activities of the
  project, and rows representing the various
  environmental factors to be considered. The
  intersections are filled in to indicate the
  magnitude (from -10 to 10) and the importance
  (from 1 to 10) of the impact of each activity on
  each environmental factor.
• For example, a stream that significantly alters
  the erosion patterns in a specific area, which
  will have a significant magnitude, but may not be
  important, provided the stream in question is
  swift moving and transports large amounts of soil
  anyway. In this case, an impact of significant
  magnitude may not actually be important to the
  environment in question.
• http//www.fao.org/DOCREP/005/V9933E/V9933E02.htm

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Problems in a National Park
Problem How it could be resolved?
Urban Expansion
Transport Developments
Mining/Quarrying
Harnessing Energy e.g. Windfarms
Power Stations
Recreation and Tourism
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Public Enquiry

• You will be assigned a position out of
• - Local - Tourist - NPA
• Miner/Quarry/Forestry Worker - Environmentalist
• You need to think about
• How you would feel about the problems we have
  talked about which occur in National Parks
• How you would like to see the problems solved
• How this could be done.
• You need to
• - Do some research into how the problems impact
  National Parks
• Write a speech to present to all the other
  positions
• Think about the questions you will pose to other
  groups during the enquiry and potential answers
  to questions they may ask you!

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Major Causes of Land-use Conflicts

• Urban Expansion e.g. London and its satellite
  towns
• Transport Developments new/enlarged roads e.g.
  M6 toll road
• Proposed/enlarged airports e.g. Heathrow
• Port Developments
• Mining/quarrying e.g. limestone in the Peak
  District
• Harnessing Energy
• Windfarms e.g. in areas of scenic beauty
• Powerstations e.g Dinorwig HEP station in
  Snowdonia National Park
• Recreation and Tourism e.g. recreation pressure
  in National Parks

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Methods of Resolving Land-Use Conflicts

• 1.) Legislative Methods statutory planning
  controls and restrictions
• 2.) Strict Planning Controls
• 3.) Public Enquires
• 4.) Space Zoning allocation of different areas
  for activities that would conflict e.g. on a lake
• 5.) Time Zoning allocation of different time
  periods for activities that would conflict
• 6.) Economic Methods e.g. Cost Benefit Analysis

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Legislative Methods

• Statutory planning and controls and restrictions
• Planning applications are granted if they are
  appropriate within local and national planning
  strategies of the local planning authority and
  the Government
• Areas with very strict planning controls
• 1.) National Parks essential/desirable urban
  developments for the existing local
  community/economy
• 2.) Greenbelts to prevent urban sprawl,
  formation of conurbations and encourage use of
  brownfield sites.

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Economic Methods

• Cost Benefit Analysis a monetary value is
  ascribed to each of the costs and benefits of a
  proposal.
• Costs include
• Direct costs e.g. labour to build a by-pass
• Indirect costs e.g. the value of the wetland area
  that could have been created by the labour force
  is they werent building the by-pass
• Intangibles e.g. what is the value of the hay
  meadow that is going to disappear under the
  by-pass
• Benefits include reduced noise, congestion,
  vibration, air pollution etc. in the by-passed
  village
• Benefits Costs if the benefits exceed the
  costs then the proposal may be recommended.