Wikipedia:Today's featured article/March 2, 2005

The national parks of England and Wales are areas of relatively undeveloped and scenic landscape that are designated under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. Despite the name, national parks in Britain are quite different from those in the United States and many other countries, where national parks are owned and managed by the government as a protected community resource, and permanent human communities are not a part of the landscape. In Britain, designation as a national park can include substantial settlements and land uses which are often integral parts of the landscape, and land within a British national park remains largely in private ownership. There are currently 12 national parks in England and Wales, the newest and smallest being the New Forest, established on March 1, 2005. The South Downs are also in the process of being designated as a national park. Each park is operated by its own National Park Authority. (more...)

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