Sustainability and Management in the UK Peak District National Park

Sustainability and Management in the UK Peak District National Park
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Peak District National Park
Introduction
Covering an area of about 555 square miles, which is approximately 1,438 square kilometers, the Peak District National Park is one of the places in England that offers a serene environment for the tourists and the locals alike. Geographically, the peak district park lies in the area between Manchester and Sheffield. There is a lot of history attached to the national park as it is the first national park that was established in the Great Britain (National Geographic 2014). It was established back in the year 1951 within the early 20th century. Much of the land in this area was owned by the wealthy landowners, who at the time had banned public access to the lands. Later on in the year 1932, there was the Kinder Mass Trespass that was held in the lands that are now the park. This event was the start of a relentless campaign to have the lands open for access to the public leading to the establishment of the parks seen today (National Geographic 2014).
The name given to the pack is derived from one of the oldest English words Peac which referred to a hill. There are no sharp peaks at the park as the name would wildly refer; most of the hills are actually rounded at the top. Kinder Scout is the highest point on the park; at around 2088 feet above the sea level (Peak District National Park Management Plan, 2014). The kinder Scout is a moorland plateau rising from the rest of the ground around it. The ownership of the park splits three ways, with more than 90% of the lands owned by the private owners while the national trusts owns around 12% and 11% going to some 11 water companies and lastly the Peak District National Park Authority owning at least 5%. Over 86% of the land is composed of farmlands, such that most of the land on the park is used for grazing cattle and sheep. Within the park in an area that almost the size of the Greater London, there lives roughly 38000 persons, while another close to 16 million people live within an hour drive to the park (Eagles & McCool, 2004).
With close reference to the features that form the park, it can be dived into three potions. The dark peak as the name suggests is covered in dark peat that is thick and there are high moors. The white peak on the other hand is characteristic of the fossilized corals, limestone on the low lands that form the rolling farms (Cooper, 2005). Then there is the south western peak that is characteristic of the moors, the pastoral valleys and woods all patched up together. Given that the lands are rich in the natural resources, it has been a crucial site since the prehistoric ages with lots of quarries. This is due to the fact that there are grit stones and millstones that could be extracted from the lands and some can even be seen scattered on the fields. The lead mines on the land also offer the tourist a splendi...