"Diamonds in the
Landscape"
2009 sees the celebration of the 60th
anniversary of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act
1949. This act led to the creation of Areas of Outstanding Natural
Beauty (AONBs) and National Parks and also gave powers to
strengthen a Public Rights of Way framework including the creation
of long distance routes.
The first National Parks
During the 1800's the idea of creating
protected areas of land developed and in 1810, the English poet
William Wordsworth described the Lake District as a "sort of
national property in which every man has a right and interest who
has an eye to perceive and a heart to enjoy".
The first effort by any government to set aside such protected
areas was in the United States on April 20 1832,
when President Andrew Jackson signed legislation to set aside four
sections of land around what is now Hot Springs Arkansas, in order
to protect the natural, thermal springs and adjoining mountainsides
for the future disposal of the US government.
In 1872, Yellowstone National Park was established as arguably
the world's first truly national park. Following
the idea established in Yellowstone, parks soon followed in other
nations. In Australia, the Royal National Park was established just
south of Sydney in 1879. Rocky Mountain National Park became
Canada's first national park in 1885 and New Zealand had its first
national park in 1887.
Fresh Air
In Britain during the early 1900's there was an increasing
level of concern that the lives of working people in industrial
cities should be improved by providing more fruitful use of leisure
time and access to the countryside for clean, fresh
air. By the 1930s more and more people were
seeking an escape from the dirt and noise of Britain's towns and
cities and this caused growing conflict with
landowners.
Mass Trespass
Frustrated by the lack of progress by the official ramblers'
federation towards the Right to Roam, a group of walkers made a
public mass trespass in April 1932 on Kinder Scout (the highest
point in the Peak District) to exercise what they felt their right
should be - to walk unhindered on open moorland.
The trespassers came face to face with the gamekeepers employed by
local landowners and scuffles broke out. Six
ramblers were imprisoned which led to a huge wave of public
sympathy and the pressure for greater access continued to
grow.
Access for All
On the 16th December 1949 the National Parks and
Access to the Countryside Act was passed providing the framework
for the creation of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and
National Parks. These areas were designated to preserve and enhance
natural beauty and create recreational opportunities for the
public.
Since the Act was passed 49 AONBs and 15 National Parks have
been designated in the UK. The first protected
landscape, The Peak District National Park, was designated in 1951.
The first AONB was Gower in 1958 and Nidderdale AONB was designated
on the 14th February 1994. Most recently, in March 2009,
the South Downs has been designated as the 15th National
Park in the UK.
These protected areas contain the country's finest landscapes
and countryside and are home to some of our most exquisite and
unusual wildlife species. They are diverse in
character - areas of lowland heath; upland mountains; gently
rolling hills; coastal plain and shingle beaches; - but each
contains unique and fascinating landscape
features.
The 60th Anniversary provides the opportunity to
celebrate these protected landscapes and recognise them as
"Diamonds in the Landscape". As well as giving us the opportunity
to look back at what has been achieved over the last 60 years it
also gives us the chance to look to the future and find ways to
protect these landscapes for future generations. After all
"Diamonds are Forever" if they are properly cared for!