National parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty have not done enough to protect nature or welcome diverse visitors, and extra government funding must help drive radical change, according to a review.
The independent review, commissioned by the former environment secretary Michael Gove, praises the work of England’s 44 “national landscapes”, including the Lake District and Dartmoor, but calls for a new focus to stop declines in nature and welcome working-class and black and minority ethnic visitors.
The review, led by the writer Julian Glover, calls for parks, which cover nearly a quarter of England, to have a clear national mission to reverse environmental decline, assisted by 1,000 new rangers. It says every schoolchild should be given the chance to visit the parks and spend a night under the stars.
“National parks and AONBs have done their best to protect nature but it’s not been good enough,” said Glover. “Nature is in crisis in our protected landscapes just as it’s in crisis outside them. We’re not blaming national parks and AONBs but we want to give them to the tools to do more, and recover declining nature.”
Glover said the national parks were created after the second world war to serve the whole country and have proved “immensely popular”, managing natural beauty well, particularly when receiving just £48m annual government funding between them. National parks generate more than £20bn for the rural economy, and support 75,000 jobs.
He added: “But our country has changed and we need to change the way we run our landscapes to keep pace with that. One thing is to make sure everyone feels welcome in those landscapes and the other is to make sure the way they are run reflects the country as a whole.”
The review calls for the boards of national parks to better represent modern Britain – more than 99% of board members are white – and for a new programme to increase ethnic minority visits and ensure that minority groups see the parks as places for them.
Although more than 66% of people live within half an hour of a national park or AONB and they receive 94 million visitors each year, Glover said too many people don’t know what they are for.
The review calls for a new national park in the Chilterns and a new “national forest” covering areas such as Sherwood Forest, to help increase woodland to fight the climate crisis.
It wants long-term programmes to increase black and minority ethnic visitors, better information to guide visitors, affordable homes within the parks, and consideration of expanding open access rights – the right to roam – in the landscapes.
Other ideas in the review include improved transport to help widen access, bike racks for buses as occurs in Switzerland, and electric bikes and charging points for electric vehicles. There are currently almost no electric vehicle charging points in some vast national parks.
The environment secretary, Theresa Villiers, welcomed the “spirit of ambition” and said the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which commissioned the review, would “carefully consider” its recommendations.
She said: “These landscapes are the jewels in the crown of our countryside and are a cornerstone of our rural economy. We are committed to ensuring they flourish as havens for nature and sites that everyone in the country goes to visit for inspiration, adventure or relaxation.”
Corinne Pluchino, the chief executive of the charity Campaign for National Parks, said: “We welcome the timely publication of this ambitious agenda for our most beautiful landscapes. There is an pressing need to address the urgent challenges in our national parks. We will be reviewing the report in detail and will be working to ensure the momentum is maintained.”