The environment has been and continues to be damaged by human behaviour. Stewardship means looking after (or managing) resources in a sustainable way so that they exist for future generations.
It is therefore our responsibility to protect the environment for future generations by practising sustainable development or conservation. This means using resources or areas of land in such a way that they will not run out or be damaged for future generations. For example:
Sustainable fishing would involve only catching breeds that are plentiful.
Sustainable mining would include screening the quarry with trees, filling in the quarry and replanting when the work was finished or filling the quarry with water to make a reservoir which would create new habitats.
Sustainable forestry would include planting as many trees as were cut down.
Sustainable agriculture would include encouraging wildlife by planting strips of wild flowers around fields, replanting hedgerows and not using pesticides or chemical fertilisers.
Developing a school in a sustainable way would mean encouraging children to walk to school if possible, turning lights and computers off when not in use and making sure recycling was taking place.
A sustainable factory would minimise the amount of carbon dioxide used by using renewable energy.
Increased production of energy using renewable resources (solar, geothermal, hydroelectric power (HEP), wind or tidal) and a deceased production of energy by non-renewable resources (coal, oil, natural gas or nuclear).
Sustainable tourism, also known as ecotourism, would allow tourists to visit a place to boost the economy without causing any damage to the environment. Management techniques such as those shown in the table below could be used to make tourism sustainable.
In Britain the first National Parks (NP) were designated under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act (1949). British National Parks are different from this in may countries (for example the USA), where they are owned and managed by the government. In England and Wales, land within a National Park is held largely in private ownership. This can lead to conflict with the tourism industry.
The Environment Act (1995( defined the purpose of Britain's National Parks as:
Conserving and enhancing the natural beauty, wildlife and culture heritage.
Promoting opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of their special qualities.
The National Park Authority (NPA) must also support the economic and social wellbeing of local communities,
Attractions of the Peak District National Park
One of the most popular National Parks.
Located straddling the southern tip of the Pennines and covering much of Derbyshire.
Has a varied landscape which includes limestone caves, wild moorland and rolling dales.
Most visitors come to enjoy the beautiful scenery and take part in outdoor activities such as hill walking, potholing and mountain biking.
Most accessible National Park for many urban dwellers living in the Midlands and north-west of England. Over 17 million people live within 95 km (69 miles) of the park. Near major cities such as Manchester, Sheffield, Derby and Nottingham.
Easy road access (via the M1 and M6 motorways) results in 10,000 cars on the Peak District's narrow roads each day.
Well served by public transport.
Benefits of Tourism
Receives many day trippers.
Estimated that over a million of people each year stay overnight in the park at hotels, bed and breakfasts, youth hostels and camping or caravan sites. This provides many locals with some income, although often only through seasonal jobs, which may be part time.
Local employed in shops selling outdoor equipment or souvenirs to tourists, or promoting conservation for the National park Authority (NPA).
£135 million is spent by tourists. This money is used by the NPA to support communities such as Bakewell, a well-known honeypot site.
Conflicts of Land Use
Much of the land is privately owned by a number of organisations, such as the National Trust, trust estates and several water companies. There are around 2,700 farmers in the Park in addition to forestry and limestone quarrying industries. Inevitably, conflicts occur between the different land users, local residents and tourist visitors.
Here are two examples:
1. Conflict between tourists and local residents
Often mixed feelings amongst local residents about the influence of tourist visitors.
Although tourist money often provides locals with jobs, there has been an increasing trend in wealthy outsiders buying local houses for use as holiday homes. This reduces the already limited housing available for local people, and increases house prices to levels many locals cannot afford, forcing them to move away from the area.
2. Conflict between tourists and farmers
Most common type of farming is pastoral farming. Only half of the farms are enclosed (crops or cattle are fenced in) with sheep grazing freely in the remaining area.
Tourists threaten pastoral farming by trampling pastures by walking or mountain biking off the signed footpaths.
Dry stone walls are damaged by people scrambling over them.
Gates are often left open, causing livestock to escape.
As the land does not necessarily look like a 'typical' farm, many tourists treat it as common land and believe they should be able to roam freely.
Environmental Problems
Some landscapes and areas are extremely beautiful and relatively easy to get to become popular visitor attractions. They are often referred to as honeypot sites. These sites are encouraged because they concentrate the damage caused by tourists into a small area, thereby helping to make conservation easier. However, honeypot sites can suffer from overcrowding, littering, strain on facilities and transport networks, crime and erosion.
95% of visitors arrive by car. Narrow roads in honeypot locations can become highly congested. As a result of the heavy traffic, air pollution levels during June, July and August can be higher than similar recordings taken in central London.
Large numbers of walkers in a concentrated area can damage the landscape and many of the 3,000 footpaths are now impassable. Therefore, walkers leave the footpaths and create new paths which damage the moorland vegetation that attracts tourists. Foot path erosion is made worse by the use of four-wheel drive vehicles on tracks and mountain bikes on paths.
Litter is unattractive and can lead to fires. Broken glass, parts of tin cans and plastic bags can harm or trap wildlife, particularly birds, preventing them from feeding and causing starvation.
Nesting birds can be disturbed by tourist activity.
Damage to the environment can also take the form of noise pollution and disturbance of animals.
Solutions to Promote Sustainable Development
It is the job if the NPA to find methods to create harmony between all the different users on the NP and to conserve the environment from damage caused by tourism.
Some methods that have been used include:
Education of visitors about the issues and encouraging responsible behaviour through visitor centres and information boards.
Creating stone pathways to reduce footpath erosion. Clear signs encourage most walkers to keep to the path and not to stray onto sensitive moorland.
Create separate mountain biking and horse riding trials to help prevent a conflict of use and further erosion.
Encourage responsible attitude to litter disposal and persuading visitors to take rubbish home.
Employ wardens or park rangers to encourage parks users to stick to the pathways and take care of the environment.
Prevent build up of air pollution by encouraging visitors to use car parks on the boarders of the NP and take a bus to their destination ('park and ride'). Increase parking fees within the NP, especially in honeypot towns.
Limit the number of houses that can be sold to tourists to keep house prices down for local residents. Also prevents a decline in public services such as post offices, local shops and petrol stations which are supported by local residents on a regular basis rather than occasionally by owners of holiday homes.
Summary of the Problems and Conflicts Caused by Groups in the Peak District National Park, the Proposed Solutions and the Effects that these should have on People