The survey gives the public the chance to air their views on national parks

The survey gives the public the chance to air their views on national parks

A campaigning charity wants to hear your views on the country’s national parks.

An online survey has been launched to canvass the public’s opinion on the future direction the nation’s parks.

The Campaign for National Parks, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, wants as wide a selection of people as possible to take fill in the questionnaire on England and Wales’s parks.

Chief executive Fiona Howie said: “We are proud to stand up for national parks. But, in our heart of hearts, we know they can be even better.

“To feed into our thinking about this, we are asking people to tell us what they think those changes could be.”

Everest summiteer Sir Chris Bonington, honorary life vice president of the CNP and himself a resident of a national park, said: “Our national parks contain a natural beauty equal to any that I have observed anywhere in the world.

“The fact that they have been preserved so well is due to the protection and loving care given by their status as national parks.

“We should never be complacent however. The needs of the people living within the parks and of those visiting them, gaining so much from their beauty and character, have inevitably changed with the years. I’ve spoken out in the past about changes to national parks that would be beneficial to local people and the economy.

“I think these kinds of things need to be discussed in this conversation that I warmly welcome. The challenge is getting the right balance.”

Fiona Howie: 'we want to hear from you'

Fiona Howie: 'we want to hear from you'

Ms Howie said: “We need to make sure people are proud to live and work in the parks, others can gain full enjoyment from visiting them, and their natural beauty continues to be enhanced.

“If national parks are to remain special and valued for decades to come, we need to integrate these diverse needs.

“Whether you think the parks are brilliant just as they are, have thoughts on what could make sure the parks are vibrant and sustainable for decades to come, or even if you’ve never been in a national park because you don’t think they’re for you, we want to hear from you.”

You can complete the survey in English or in Welsh.

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