<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/sep/13/how-national-parks-failed-nature-and-how-to-fix-them>
"What do you think of when you think of a national park? Is it a wide area of
glorious natural beauty, where wildlife runs free under the protection of the
state? Or is it a wide area mostly farmed by private landowners, in which
nature is faring worse than outside its boundaries, and largely off-limits to
the public?
In England, the reality is the latter, and this matters. The country is one of
the most nature-depleted nations in the world, in the bottom 10% of nations for
biodiversity. “Nature is in freefall in our national parks,” says Dr Rose
O’Neill, the chief executive of the Campaign for National Parks (CNP).
Wildlife is wonderful for its own sake, but its loss also damages its
near-magical ability to boost people’s wellbeing, as well as natural flood
defences, pollination and more. Restoring nature is also critical to fighting
the climate emergency, soaking up carbon in new trees and rewetted peatlands.
So why have national parks failed nature? There are thousands of good nature
projects in national parks, from fresh flower meadows to leafy new woodlands,
yet the picture is still one of decline. Most importantly, what needs to change
to urgently reverse the decline?"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
