Studies on National Park System in England and Wales

In Terms of Local Government Act 1972

Abstract

Unlike most parks and recreation areas in the U. S., which have been purchased with government funds, all natural parks in Japan are designated on private-owned lands. Recently, over use of natural parks in Japan caused the destruction of nature as well as escalation of the conflict with other land uses. In order to curtail such further escalation of park over use, it is necessary to find out a method of classifying recreation resources in terms of their ability to support recreation activities, and at the same time, the effects of recreation activities on other land uses must be assessed. Otherwise, the impact of sheer number will soon destroy all natural environment and will change park landscape into urban atmosphere.
As for the case of England and Wales, the national parks and A. O. N. B.(Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) are also designated on private-owned lands, and similar types of problems have been raised. However, when observing planning and administrative measures of national parks and A. O. N. B., the areas are conserved as a part of whole countryside areas, in another word, not only national parks and A. O. N. B., but also the overall areas in England and Wales are conserved in their natural beauty and amenity based on the Act of Town and County Planning. Furthermore, particularly, national parks have been conserved and promoted its recreation provision under National Parks and Access to the Country-side Act (1949), Countryside Act (1968). Recently by the enactment of Local Government Act (1972) the management of nationl parks have been more greatly progressed.
Two distingushied points are:
1. Construction of National Park Planning Boards and Committees with national park officers in each national park.
2. Planning of National Park Plan formulating their policy for the management of the Park anb for the exercise of the function as respects the Park.
Obviously, in our country, Natural Parks Law exists and all national parks and natural parks are preserved by the Law, and Industrial development within the areas have been fairly controlled by the Law. Recently, however, visitors pressure, recreation development by landowners and other current problems are far beyond the control of the, Law.
Under such condition, one suggestion to solve the problem is rezoning of national parks and provisions of other new recreational areas for people in urban areas such as Country Parks and Forest Recreation Parks in Great Britain. Moreover, we urgently need fundermental planning law of lands, at the national level just like the Act of Town and Country Planning in England and Wales.
In order to embody this idea into practice, we must renew zoning systems of our lands and reconsider Master Plan of natural parks by identif ying types of land use properly. Furthermore, we must consider appropriate land use plan in terms of nature conservation and recreation resources compatible with other land uses.