Article from Brecon Beacons National Park
Last Updated: 05 July 2007 18:34
What is a National Park?
A National Park is 'national' because of the special value the area has for the whole nation. This value derives from their outstanding beauty, the recreation opportunities provided, and the special interaction between humans and nature that they represent.
Welcome to the family.
The Brecon Beacons is one of a family 14 of National Parks in Britain. To find out more about the other members of this family take a look at
The Brecon Beacons National Park is a 'Category Five Protected Landscape Area'. This means that the landscape of our National Park is a 'protected area' as defined by International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). There are six protected area management categories in all. These categories cover all the different types of protected area throughout the world. 'Category five' means a protected area managed mainly for landscape conservation and recreation.
In practice this means that we are a 'living landscape' or a 'cultural landscape'. We are a place where people live and work. The landscapes remain largely in the hands of the farmers and landowners who have shaped the countryside for generations. Unlike our family members in the US and elsewhere, we are not a wilderness, there is no entrance gate or entry fee.
Read more in our factsheets:
National Parks - Origins and Development.
See also: Our Purposes and Duty