National Parks and Protected Areas: A Comparison of the Approach Taken in the UK and France for the Protection of Green Spaces

Abstract

Across the globe, national parks are frequently described in terms of their diverse wildlife, spectacular scenery, and cultural heritage. These extraordinary land (and sea) scapes are known to be important for the health and mental wellbeing of the people who visit them, but for many, they are also the place where they live and work. The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 witnessed the importance of being in nature and exercising in green spaces, and part of the COVID-19 inheritance has been the rise of the so-called “staycation”, which has seen people becoming less inclined to travel overseas and more inclined to the explore nature and landscapes closer to home. While this has undoubtedly meant economic benefits to National Parks, it has also brought challenges that are yet to be fully realised and dealt with. This paper considers the laws and regulations in place to protect these special places in two jurisdictions, France and the United Kingdom, through the lens of two of those countries’ National Parks—the New Forest and the Calanques.