UK National Parks

Focusing on the Peak District National Park

CHAPTER 2:
What is so Special About the Peak District National Park & Why
it is Important

Carina Humberstone PDNPA April 2020

National Parks - What
Makes Them Special?
In the UK there are 15 national parks.
These are protected areas because of
their beautiful countryside, wildlife and Landscapes that tell a
cultural heritage. A protected area has a Internationally important Vital benefits for millions of story of thousands of
and locally distinctive people that flow beyond the years of people, farming
clear boundary shown on a map. Each
wildlife and habitats landscape boundary and industry
park has laws that make sure nature
and wildlife are protected and that
people can continue to benefit from
nature without destroying it.

All the national parks in England, Wales

and Scotland have an aim and
purpose to promote understanding and An inspiring space for escape, adventure, Undeveloped places of tranquillity and
enjoyment of the 'special qualities' of discovery and quiet reflection dark night skies within reach of millions
their area. Can you work out what we
think the 7 Special Qualities of the Peak
District National Park are? Immerse
yourself in the special qualities of the
Cairngorms National Park here
Beautiful views created by contrasting Characteristic settlements with strong
landscapes and dramatic geology communities and traditions
 The Importance of the Peak District National Park (PDNP)
Internationally important and locally
distinctive wildlife and habitats
An inspiring space for escape,
adventure, discovery and quiet reflection
The Peak District National Park has special plants and
landscapes which provide benefits including food,
The benefits of being outside can be seen as clearly now
shelter and a home for many special animal species like
as 100 years ago when people started to campaign for
curlew, red grouse, mountain hare, common lizard and
better access to our outdoor spaces. National parks
short-eared owl.
provide open spaces for everyone to enjoy.
Much of the Dark Peak (the high moorlands and
Our second purpose as a national park is to promote
gritstone edges) is more akin to environments found in
opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of
the Arctic than the midlands of the UK, due to its height
the Peak District's special qualities.
and therefore colder temperatures. As a result we have
species that are quite rare in this country.
Most of our visitors come on day visits from around the
UK but others travel from further afield to enjoy the
Our first purpose as a national park is to conserve and
wide range of activities.
enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural
heritage of the Peak District.
 National parks have vital roles, in
High on the
addition tomoors
beingofcountryside
the Peak District is ato
open vast
all.
landscape
The Peakof peat, a National
District rich, dark soil.
ParkPeat
hasisover
formed
when plants, including Sphagnum mosses, decay
55 reservoirs supplying drinking water as
slowly in waterlogged conditions. Instead of
far afield
rotting asthis
away, Liverpool, Manchester
peat gradually builds upandover
Vital benefits for millions of people that flow Nottingham.
thousands of years. Peat helps to combat climate
beyond the landscape
change by storing large amounts of carbon.
Filtering and cleaning water to make it
The carbon is
drinkable stored
one in
ofpeatlands in thecarbon
the greatest UK is
equivalent to the total UK carbon emissions for 3
producing industries. Water that runs
years. Peatlands only cover 3% of the earth’s land
into ourbutreservoirs
surface they storeisover
naturally filtered
25% of the by
world’s
the countryside
carbon; more thanso theless industrial
world’s forests. filtering
Black Hill has been revegetated to protect the is required.
peat
 What do you know?

The second purpose of our national parks is to:

The
TheOur 7 Special
countryside Qualitiesthe
benefits that we think
drinking the industry
water PDNP have are:
because:
The first
peatlands helppurpose
to combat of our national
global warmingparks is to
because:
promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the Peak
Important
conserve wildlife
and
it special
District's naturally habitats;
enhance
filters
qualities the
the
(the an inspiring
natural
water,
Peak beauty,space;
resulting
District in darkand
wildlife
cleaner
National night
Parkwater
is skies;
cultural
free vital
heritage
for all to
they store a huge amount of carbon
benefits
enjoy beyond
of theand
Peak thetoless
weDistrict
and
aim boundaries;
(We protect
need
help forviews created
theunderstand
countryside
industrial
all people byhow
landscapes
from
processes can/ get
geology;
development
they and
here
landscapes that tell
also work aand
story
to preserve ofthe
what thousands
toflora andoffauna
do here). years; characteristic
found here).
settlements with strong communities and traditions.
 How you can get involved
How can you spread the message, increase our audience
reach, encourage more people to visit, to do so responsibly
and to look after our environment? Perhaps you can make an
app, a video or a podcast. It doesn’t have to be about a
national park, maybe it could be about your favourite green
space or just somewhere natural, maybe a particular tree on
the road to school.

Many people don’t know about our national parks.

We try to encourage people to learn about our national park and we help them to access it. We:

• Run educational trips

• Have initiatives for groups that may struggle to access the national park, e.g. the less able and the
elderly
• Use social and traditional media to reach large audiences

However, many people are still not confident enough to visit a national park.
Some of those that do visit are unsure how to help us protect it.
 Further thoughts
If you could designate a new national park, anywhere in the UK, or the world, where would it be?

The world’s first national park is an area of exceptional beauty, set aside for the enjoyment of generations to come. The
15 national parks in the UK have been designated for protection because of their special qualities, which include:

• landscape and views

• geology and geography
• biodiversity and rare species
• archaeology and history

The rural communities who live and work within the national parks now, along with the history of the people who've
lived there in the past, are also part of what makes these areas so special.

• Why have you chosen this place? What is special about it?
• What does it need protecting from?
• would you encourage the public to look after it?
• Would you let people into it? If so, can they undertake any activity, anywhere in the Park?
• If you want to keep people out, how would you do this?
 Summary
• National parks all have special qualities, usually to do with the landscape,
the wildlife and the local communities.

• In the Peak District National Park, our peat moorlands are particularly special
because of their role as a carbon store and also as a habitat for rare wildlife.

• The Peak District National Park is important for people living far beyond it.
Our reservoirs supply many towns and cities with clean drinking water.

• Not everyone knows about national parks, some don’t know how to visit them.
(You can just drive, ride, walk or get public transport into the park). Our
Communications and Marketing teams work hard to let the general public know
all about the park via the website and our media channels, both social and
traditional.