WHY NATIONAL PARKS? by Ian O. Brodie, ISBN 978-1-904098522, £14.50

NATIONAL Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty are, in statute, the highest forms of landscape protection in England and Wales. This book looks at the visions of the two main proponents of national parks, the landscape protection and access movements, and asks how far their post-war expectations have been met.

‘Why National Parks?’ asks if the current family of supporting organisations has succeeded or failed to explain their significance for the nation and, if we re-visit these early values, will the future of designated landscapes be more secure?

Ian Brodie has spent a life in campaigning for access, landscape conservation and, more latterly, nature conservation.

This is a fascinating read, making you understand that we all have a responsibility to ‘guard’ our National Parks.