Controlling Visitor Numbers to the Lake District National Park

Controlling Visitor Numbers to the Lake District National Park

The Lake District is an area of spectacular natural beauty and

tranquillity. It is located in the North of England near Kendal. Its

wide range of physical environment offers both peaceful holidays and

the opportunity to for activity breaks. The national park has a number

of different physical landscapes, which include: coastal areas,

deciduous woodland and mountains with fast flowing streams. There are

a wide range of ecosystems including both freshwater and saltwater

habitats, heath land and a variety of grassland communities.

Scientists particularly benefit from the area, as there are over one

hundred sites of special scientific interest and a number of national

nature reserves. Another appealing factor is the number of small

semi-rural settlements, which have many attractive buildings with

historical links. The National Park Authority is the local government

body, appointed to look after the land. There purposes are: To

conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and heritage of the

lake district; to promote opportunities for the understanding and

enjoyment of the special qualities of The National park and to foster

the economic and social well being of local communities within the

park. However, the area has a resident population of over forty

thousand people and it is estimated that there are ten million day

visitors and twelve million staying visitors per year. We can see that

the area is densely populated. Although tourism is good for bringing

in money, the Lake District should not rely on it, if something goes

wrong and visitor numbers suddenly drop, the Lake...

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I think that the number of visitors to the National Park should not be

limited. Yet, I do feel it should be managed in a more appropriate

way. It is clear that tourists are over crowding and causing

pollution, littering, damaging areas and what not. However, although

the area should not completely rely on tourism as explained above, I

do think that is necessary and very important for the Lake District

National Park to have the tourists, after all they do bring a lot of

money and lead to making more jobs available. Everyone should have the

chance and opportunity to experience the view and tranquillity of the

area. There needs to be some sort of system where visitor numbers can

be monitored to ensure that the park would not be put under so much

pressure that the overall beauty is destroyed. I'm sure it could be

done.