National Parks Dartmoor, Britain

What Are They? Dartmoor is one of the 12 designated National Parks in England and Wales. All but two (the Broads and the New Forest) were set up after the "National parks and Access to the Countryside Act" was passed in They had two main aims: To preserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area. To promote the enjoyment of the area by the general public.

Conflict In Use Since their designation, National Parks have been the subject of conflicting uses, which has only been increased by the rising numbers of tourists who visit the areas. Apart from the tourists, other people who have an interest in the parks include local farmers, local residents, the Army, the Forestry Commission, the National Trust and the Water Board. Dartmoor is an example of a national park where many of these users have some into conflict.

Advantages And Disadvantages Dartmoor plays host to over 8 million visitors every year. In terms of some of the other National Parks, such as the Lake District or the Peak District, this is a relatively small number but it still has brought its fair share of advantages and disadvantages. Most of these visitors come to walk or mountain bike on the moor, look around the picturesque villages or use the reservoirs for water sports.

Problems Farmers use the moor for grazing their sheep, and quickly get very annoyed when they have flocks disturbed by dogs let loose by their owners out for a walk. There is an army camp near Okehampton, in the north of the moor. The northern half of the moor is a military firing range, where they practice with live ammunition, both bullets and shells. Obviously this can cause problems for tourists unaware of the firing days. Red flags designate the area, but there still have been times when people have found themselves in the middle of a training exercise. One advantage of the military use of the moor is that it does mean that less people go to that area, and so the natural environment is protected.

Problems The huge tourist numbers puts great pressures on the narrow roads found all over Dartmoor. The National parks Authority has introduced car parks and information centres to try to concentrate the visitors to certain areas, whilst protecting others. Car parks also prevent the problems found in some villages of tourists parking their cars on the grassy verges. "Honeypot" sites, such as Hay Tor, attract a disproportionate amount of visitors, creating problems of parking, footpath erosion and littering. The NPA has had to try to encourage people to go to other equally spectacular tors to try to take the pressure off the Hay Tor area.

Problems The increase in recreation activities such as mountain biking, water sports and hang-gliding has put pressure on the natural resources of the area. The facilities for tourists have also come under pressure as more and more people come to the area. Solutions have been attempted, such as promoting other parts of the moor, introducing more tourist facilities and restricting where people can and cannot walk. These have been reasonably successful in protecting the area.