National Parks: Conservation or Cosmetics?

The national parks of England and Wales are a vital part of the environmental resources of Britain. Originally published in 1982 and drawing on considerable practical and research experience, the authors present a cogent, authoritative and radical challenge to the established thinking about these cherished parts of the landscape. The first part of the book provides an historical account of the parks and an analysis of the failure of the system prior to reorganization in 1974. The second describes the physical, economic and social background, and establishes the inextricable links in the relationship between man and nature which form the fabric of the living landscape. Part 3 deals with the national park system…