BRAINCAKENational Parks
A national park is a large area of land that is legally protected for its landscape, wildlife and cultural value. National parks are one of the most important ways of carrying out in situ conservation.
The first national park was Yellowstone in the USA, set up in 1872. Many national parks around the world, such as those in East Africa, are largely wilderness where people do not live, and are protected by rangers who patrol against poaching.
The UK has 15 national parks, including the Lake District, Dartmoor, Snowdonia (Eryri) and the Cairngorms. They are different from many parks abroad: much of the land is privately owned, and people live and farm there. In England and Wales each park has two statutory purposes:
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Key terms in this lesson
- in situ conservation
- The conservation of a species within its natural habitat.
More in Biodiversity
- Conserving Ecosystems
- Conservation
- Ex-Situ Conservation of Plants
- Ex-situ Conservation of Animals
- In-Situ Conservation
- In-situ Conservation Strategies
- Conflicts with Conservation
- Sustainability
All 22 lessons in Biodiversity · All Edexcel AS-level Biology topics