How many National Parks are there?
There are currently twelve members of the National Parks family in England and Wales. They are the Broads, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Lake District, New Forest, Northumberland, North York Moors, Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, Brecon Beacons, Pembrokeshire Coast and Snowdonia. There are two National Parks in Scotland: the Cairngorms, and Loch Lomond & the Trossachs.
There are eight National Parks in England plus the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, which has equivalent status. These nine areas account for eight per cent of England’s land area. The process of designating the South Downs as a National Park, which started in April 2000, has ended its public inquiry stage and a decision on the area to be confirmed as National Park is expected from the Secretary of State in the early summer of 2009.How are National Parks protected? They are designated by Natural England under the provisions of The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, 1949, and have two statutory purposes: • To conserve and enhance their natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage. • To promote opportunities for the public understanding and enjoyment of these special qualities. Policies and decisions that could have an impact upon National Parks have to take these two purposes into consideration. If there is conflict between the two purposes, the first must take precedence (k
