Our National Parks are Stunning but Flawed

Not quite as described on the tin ……

Our national parks attract millions of visitors each year. Our park authorities are tasked with preserving their heritage and they do so admirably under great financial pressure. They are still exclusively dominated by farming, mainly be beef and sheep, with some dairy farming. the moors are largely owned by estates who use them for grouse shooting.

This all begs the question What do we really want from our National Parks?

Indeed. On the moorland our wildlife is brutally under threat from zealous gamekeepers and unfriendly owners. Hen Harriers are still in decline. An Osprey was recently shot during a grouse drive.

Lower down the hills sheep dominate the landscape. In Derbyshire the Peak Forest was felled land was enclosed by thousands of miles of dry stone walls to keep in the sheep.

Meanwhile the villages in the parks are unable to support shops and pubs. Young couples in the parks cannot afford homes and are forced to move away. The social structure is collapsing. Our rich rural heritage of robust self supporting communities has largely collapsed. Modern farming methods have decimated the wildlife. Reform of the sheep industry would be a good place to start – Click here to find out how.