Parks need to do more for wildlife

National Parks across England and Wales need to “pull up their socks” to reverse the loss of wildlife from treasured landscapes, a report from the Campaign for National Parks says.

It urges National Park authorities and the Government to protect birds of prey and identify areas that can be made “wilder” by managing land less intensively.

It adds that almost three-quarters of sites of special scientific interest (SSSIS) in English National Parks are in an “unfavourable condition”. In the North York Moors, the percentage of such sites which are not in a good state is as high as 89 per cent.

Iolo Williams, vice-president of the campaign group, said: “National Parks need to urgently pull their socks up and turn around the unacceptable loss of nature from the parks. We need landscapes that are alive with people and wildlife, buzzing with invertebrates and busy with bird life.”