England’s National Parks are set to benefit from new additional funding just announced by the UK government. £4.4 million will be provided to the country’s 10 National Park Authorities to support services such as Visitor Centres and Park Rangers.
The funding award is in recognition of the vital role that the UK’s national parks play in protecting wildlife and landscapes and the importance they have for tourism, the regional economy, and public access. Each authority will be awarded an equal share of the grant.
The funding will help protect vital assets, such as education centres, and will provide more opportunities for people to enjoy National Parks. It could also be used to support the creation of new trails, residential programmes and mobility schemes. It will also support access and engagement programmes helping to conserve the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of these protected landscapes.
The 10 National Park Authorities that will benefit from a share of the £4.4 million are:
o Broads (Norfolk and Suffolk),
o Dartmoor (Devon).
o Exmoor (Somerset and Devon).
o Lake District (North West England).
o New Forest (South West Hampshire).
o North Yorkshire Moors.
o Northumberland.
o Peak District (mainly Derbyshire).
o South Downs (the country’s newest National Park in Sussex and Hampshire), and the
o Yorkshire Dales.
The Farming in Protected Landscapes scheme, currently delivered across 10 National Parks and 34 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) in England since 2021, will also be extended until March 2025. This will enable National Parks and AONBs to continue delivering outcomes for nature, climate, people and place.
