National_Parks

National Parks Historians have traced the practice of establishing protected areas to the time when forest areas were first protected in India nearly 2000 years ago. (Litke, 1998) Since then governments and landowners have sought to protect areas of special natural beauty. The concept of parks as we now define then, with the primary goals of conservation and public enjoyment is a recent development. The idea of parks for public enjoyment gained prominence during the 18th and 19th Century in response to three main driving forces. • romantic poets. William Wordsworth in the Lake District, whilst lamenting the potential of hordes arriving there by railway, famously expressed a view in 1810 of the Lakes as a 'sort of national property in which every man has a right and interest, who has an eye to perceive and a heart to enjoy'. Modern concepts of natural beauty and conservation started to develop from this with many voluntary societies being formed to hold land and argue for both its protection and public access. It was the time of the romantic period, where many poets and artists began to paint images, which prompted city dwellers to enjoy the countryside • industrial revolution, as people moved to towns and cities. By 1851 half the population of England and Wales lived in towns and cities and access to the countryside for ‘healthy outdoor recreation’ became increasingly popular. This factor became especially important politically between the First and Second World Wars as demands for free access to the hills and open country • international National Park movement which first emerged in North America, largely inspired by a visionary Scotsman, John Muir. In 1872 an Act was passed establishing Yellowstone as the world’s first National Park, followed in 1890 by congress approval for Yosemite National Park. Although the American concept of protected wilderness is somewhat different to the UK model of National Parks the notion of protecting valuable natural resources is shared. The first Report by Dower defined a National Park as: ‘an extensive area of beautiful and relatively wild country in which for the nation's benefit and by appropriate national decision and action a) the characteristic landscape beauty is strictly preserved b) access and facilities for public open air enjoyment are amply provided c) wildlife and buildings and places of architectural and historic interest are suitably protected, while d) established farming use is effectively maintained.’ Today there are hundreds of National Parks across Europe, with 14 of them being located within Great Britain. Each nation creates its own approach to establishing National Parks and can also have different aims and objectives. When National Parks were first established the emphasis was mostly concerning the enjoyment of the natural landscapes and scenery and the ability to recreate on such areas. The Environment Act 1995 amended the purpose of British National Parks from the initially established romantic purpose, to a more conservational and educational view. Subsequently the majority of British National Parks offer educational services to some degree. The available educational information and services in European National Parks and in particular the Ecrin National Park is relatively limited and research is hard to find. Outdoor Education The use of the outdoors as a site for learning has a long and varied history, varying in each country. There are distinct cultural difference and often different education systems, which both effect the use of Outdoor Education. Even Scotland, despite being part of the UK, has established a diverse education system to that of England and Wales. Today, Outdoor Education is often linked to Hahn and the Outwards Bound Movement, which was one of the first established. The extent to which Outdoor Education is perceived and the meaning attached to it varies with the observer; Higgins (2002) devised a model, which summarises the range and scope of Outdoor Education. The model comprises of three interlocking circles, with the idea that the outdoor educator shifts the emphasis from one area to another covering all aspects. DIAGRAM There is long-lasting debate in the UK, which focuses on whether outdoor education is ‘a subject in its own rights’ or an ‘appropriate to education which uses the outdoors’ (Higgins, 2002). This emphasises the lack of clarity, which exists surrounding outdoor education. As a result outdoor education has never been included fully in the National Curriculum as a subject in the UK, despite the recognised value of educating in the outdoors. The importance of outdoor learning is highlighted in the government policy ‘The English National Curriculum (DFE, 1995) and the QCA (2000) ‘Curriculum Guidance. At present outdoor education as a curricular subject comes under the title of ‘Outdoor and Adventurous Activities’ in England and Wales. In the Lake District National Park an Education and Events Team is specifically employed with the aims to “Promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the National Park to the public” is the second purpose of the National Park Authority. We develop and implement a comprehensive programme of events and educational activities throughout the Lake District National Park. Our teams consist of professionals, tutors, coordinators and administrators who are passionate and dedicated to this purpose. Discussion Whilst reading the case study paper, uncertainties whether the context could be of any real relevance to the European National Parks arose. The initial barrier, which has already been highlighted in the case paper, is that of the use of Outdoor Education in educational systems. The VCE established a subject called ‘Outdoor Environment Studies (OES) in 2000, which was the fusion of Outdoor Education and Environment Studies. This subject is taught within their national curriculum, in comparison the UK has little emphasis and enforcement of Outdoor Education in the National Curriculum and offers no individual subject of Outdoor Education. David Bell, Chief Ofsted Inspector, in his 2004 report: Outdoor Education: Aspects of Good Practices stated “Over the past decade, inspectors have noticed a marked narrowing of the curriculum in outdoor education as some teachers shy away from certain activities. One teaching union, the NASUWT, is even advising its members not to take part in outdoor activities because of the risk of litigation should an accident occur. I think it would be a great tragedy if the tremendous opportunities offered by outdoor education became lost to all but a minority of pupils because teachers were concerned about their legal position.” This lack of use of the Outdoor Education in Great Britain, can be seen to limit the use of National Parks on a governmental education basis, restricting the amount of teachers who chose to use the National Parks and their services. The use of outdoor education through Ecrin National Park is hard to establish. The park employs 54 rangers (www.virtualmontana.org, 2006) but the available information does not state that any of their roles involve educational services, which would suggest the paper does not relate to the European Education systems, though it should be considered, much of the information accessed could not be translated into English. Conclusion This paper holds the potential to connect the provision and facilitation for the future use of National Parks and could contribute to the recent rapid growth and understanding of Outdoor Education in the UK. It could work as an inspirational paper to UK and European teachers, prompting them to use the many National Parks. Due to limitations regarding European National Parks, it can be hard to comment fully on the extent to which this paper could be relevant.