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| Campaign for National Parks | |
|---|---|
| Name | Campaign for National Parks |
| Type | Charity |
| Founded | 1936 |
| Headquarters | London |
| Region served | United Kingdom |
Campaign for National Parks is an independent UK charity focused on the protection, promotion, and enhancement of national parks and protected landscapes across England and Wales. It engages with statutory bodies, civic institutions, and community groups to influence policy, advocate for funding, and support public access and conservation. The organisation works alongside conservation charities, parliamentary bodies, and heritage trusts to shape debates about landscape protection, recreation, and biodiversity.
Founded in 1936 amid debates following the Hampstead Heath and Lake District campaigns, the organisation emerged as part of a broader interwar movement that included figures associated with the National Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and the Council for the Preservation of Rural England. Early activity intersected with legislative developments such as the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 and postwar planning initiatives involving the Ministry of Housing and Local Government. Throughout the late 20th century, the charity engaged with inquiries related to the Countryside Commission and responses to reports from bodies like the Environment Agency and parliamentary select committees. In the 1990s and 2000s it expanded advocacy during debates surrounding the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and devolution processes in Wales and interactions with administrations in Westminster. Recent decades have seen collaboration with organisations such as Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, and the Heritage Lottery Fund during policy shifts tied to the UK Climate Change Act 2008 and post-Brexit environmental frameworks.
The organisation’s stated mission centers on defending and enhancing national parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty through advocacy, research, and public engagement. Objectives include securing adequate funding from sources including UK Treasury allocations, influencing policy at the level of Parliament of the United Kingdom and Welsh institutions such as the Senedd Cymru, and strengthening the capacity of park authorities like the Lake District National Park Authority and the Snowdonia National Park Authority. It aims to promote access to landscapes for communities connected to places including South Downs National Park, Peak District National Park, and Brecon Beacons National Park while supporting biodiversity initiatives tied to species protected under frameworks like the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Activities range from public campaigns and parliamentary lobbying to research reports, events, and coalition-building. The charity has led campaigns on funding settlements during debates in the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and has produced briefings referencing agencies such as the Office for National Statistics and the National Audit Office. It organises public events in partnership with bodies like the Royal Geographical Society, publishes guidance for volunteer groups connected to organisations such as the Ramblers and the Wildlife Trusts, and convenes stakeholder roundtables with representatives from the National Parks England network and community interest groups in places like Exmoor and the Cairngorms National Park Authority. It has also engaged in campaigns addressing visitor management, landscape-scale conservation linked to projects funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and EU mechanisms formerly administered under the European Regional Development Fund.
The organisation operates as a charitable company with a trustee board drawn from conservationists, former civil servants, and legal professionals with affiliations to institutions such as the Royal Society of Arts and the Institute of Directors. Executive leadership liaises with park authorities including the New Forest National Park Authority and national bodies such as Natural England and Natural Resources Wales. Governance documents align with charity law overseen by the Charity Commission for England and Wales and reporting standards used by trade organisations like the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. Local volunteer networks, advisory panels, and working groups provide input from stakeholders linked to trusts like the Friends of the Lake District and community organisations in towns such as Keswick and Stratford-upon-Avon.
Funding streams include philanthropic grants from foundations with histories of supporting landscape conservation, donations from trusts including the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and project grants from bodies such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The charity forms partnerships with statutory agencies including Natural England, NGOs like the RSPB and the WWF-UK, and professional associations such as the Landscape Institute. It has received project-specific support from corporate partners and collaborates with academic institutions including University of Exeter and Bangor University on research into recreation, access, and ecology. Financial oversight is subject to auditing and scrutiny by the National Audit Office where public funds are involved.
The organisation has contributed to securing increased financial settlements for national parks during spending reviews debated in the House of Commons, influenced policy language in legislation referenced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and helped catalyse initiatives that have improved access across regions exemplified by the South West Coast Path improvements. It has supported campaigns that led to heightened protection for sites recognised by programmes such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and advanced coordination among park authorities that parallels structures in the National Parks of England and Wales. Its publications and evidence submissions have been cited in select committee reports and used by community campaigns in places like Dartmoor and Northumberland National Park.
Critiques have focused on perceived tensions between access promotion and conservation priorities, drawing scrutiny from stakeholder groups including local landowners in Cumbria and farming organisations represented at meetings of the National Farmers' Union. Some environmental NGOs have challenged strategies where recreation initiatives were seen as prioritising visitor numbers over habitat protection, echoing debates in literature around protected area management exemplified by controversies in Snowdonia and Lake District National Park. Questions have also arisen about funding transparency and the balance of influence among corporate partners, prompting inquiries by governance bodies including the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
Category:Charities based in the United Kingdom Category:Conservation in the United Kingdom