National parks of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has 14 national parks, 12 in England and Wales and 2 in Scotland. A 15th national park is proposed in the South Downs.

For details of the status of the national parks in the United Kingdom and for links to each individual one, please see the articles about the various parts of the UK.

National parks of England and Wales (12)

Main article: National parks of England and Wales

Key National Park Est. km² 1 Peak District 1951 1,438 2 Lake District 1951 2,292 3 Snowdonia (Welsh: Eryri) 1951 2,142 4 Dartmoor 1951 956 5 Pembrokeshire Coast (Welsh: Arfordir Penfro) 1952 620 6 North York Moors 1952 1,436 7 Yorkshire Dales 1954 1,769 8 Exmoor 1954 693 9 Northumberland 1956 1,049 10 Brecon Beacons (Welsh: Bannau Brycheiniog) 1957 1,351 11 The Broads 1988 303 12 New Forest 2005† 580   Established total   14,629   Proposed total   16,270	Twelve areas are designated as national parks in England and Wales, and a thirteenth is in the process of being designated.
† — The park was designated on March 1, 2005. A National Park Authority for the New Forest was established on 1 April 2005, and will assume its full statutory powers in April 2006. See Government press release.
‡ — The public inquiry to decide the boundaries of the proposed national park formally closed on 23 March 2005. Formal designation as a national park may occur in 2006 or 2007.

At the beginning of 2005, some 9.3% of the area of England and Wales lay within national parks; the addition of South Downs and the New Forest would raise this to 10.7%. The three national parks in Wales cover around 20% of the land area of Wales.

National parks of Scotland

Main article: National parks of Scotland

In June 2005, the Scottish Executive announced their intention to create Scotland’s first coastal & marine National Park during 2008. Five possible locations for this are being considered: Solway Firth; Argyll Islands and Coast; Ardnamurchan, Small Isles and South Skye Coast; North Skye Coast and Wester Ross; and North Uist, Sound of Harris, Harris and South Lewis.

National parks of Northern Ireland

Main article: National parks of Northern Ireland

No national parks have been designated in Northern Ireland, but there are moves to establish Northern Ireland's first national park in the Mountains of Mourne.

See also

• Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
• Conservation in the United Kingdom
• BBC News: New Forest becomes national park

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