Custom «The National Parks » Essay Paper Sample

National parks in most cases bear the basic definition of vast landscapes running into hectares, set aside by responsible authorities in bid to maintain their pure state of being regarding flora and fauna, for the purpose of a continued public enjoyment. Apart from public enjoyment of national parks, other important reasons for their existence is to educate the masses, inspire the people and help in creation of employment and economically motivated ventures. With all the above aspects in mind it is therefore a worthy choice to ensure that national parks are protected from any negative interference and enhance positive management measures to ensure their natural qualities are guarded or the purpose of long term benefits.

Although some theoretical suggestions on national parks were unavoidable in the past, it was until the year 1872 in America for instance that the first national park was materialized. The park was under the name of Yellowstone National park and marked a great stride towards the subsequent formation and protection of national parks and the precious natural gifts of nature they carry with them. Under the reputable International Union for Conservation of nature (IUCN) national parks have been put under category II of their agenda on protected areas with the largest national park according to their definition being north east Greenland national park that was established in early 1974. According to the ICUN's general statistics, there are about 7000-7500 national parks on the global scale after having recently redefined the basis through which national parks are recognized. Their argument on has since classified national parks as areas of special flora and fauna covering an area not less than 10000 hectares. This area must be in constant need of protection for their valuable natural heritage. A national park must also fall under legal protection limits from authorities representing the responsible government together with a capability to sustain a budget and sufficient employees to ensure protection is applied. Lastly a park must be able to examine total control as regards prohibition of exploiting natural resources originating from socially compelling activities like fishing and sports.

National parks are of great importance to modern societies and thus their development is accorded the maximum attention it deserves in terms of making sure the environment around them is protected. The importance includes development both locally, at national and international levels with the benefits pointed towards social, economic and labor related aspects. Research has proven that protection of national parks has given rise to a vibrant tourism industry that is instrumental in the employment of hundreds of locals around the amenities. On the other hand it has been proven that the tourism industry remains the most compatible alternative in terms of providing employment to people from other crumbling industries. Most national parks are situated in the rural setups of most countries and their protection and conservation, though not believed to yield instant regional development, are believed to curb out-migration of the rural to urban by enhancing development in rural areas through employment and self income generating ventures e.g. small businesses around the park. These small businesses majorly define the service industry and remain vital in countering out-migration and instead encourage in-migration of rural populations from both inside and outside the country.

Creation of national parks therefore, is not only important in conserving sensitive aspects of the environment that ensure peaceful human and environmental coexistence, but hold much water in highlighting the plight of the rural population and their development. This has been partly proven by the relationship between national parks and positive regional development in the US. Apart from providing employment, it is important to reveal that national parks do improve the frequency by which people are employed by simply increasing employment opportunities within the tourism industry. National parks are also known to provide the magnetic impulse that responsible for attraction of a business atmosphere whereby the special nature of parks pulls masses together and a string of economic activities is initiated. During visits by tourists a diversified approach on socio-economic, attitudes and behaviors is established and therefore leads to a string of opportunities emerging. Authorities are also faced with a major challenge of establishing sound infrastructural amenities, effective marketing strategies, disaster preparedness measures and long term resource management measures which in turn prove vital in the growth of the nation at large.

One of the main reasons that tourists get attracted to any national park is for the reason of watching and enjoying the beautiful scenario portrayed by presence of wildlife. Most people travel for miles for the sole purpose of viewing a particular type of animal which may be distinct or non-existent in their local areas. This idea thus calls for maximum conservation of animal environment and the preservation of these animals altogether. A wildlife preserve is also known as a wildlife sanctuary and is a place whereby different species are protected from hunting predation and unhealthy competition. A sanctuary might automatically take the form of say, an island or one initiated by legislative undertakings by the government on land that privately owned or one for the public. The main reason behind their establishment is to ensure that animals are kept in the safest place and generally receive good care. Animals are given a chance to behave and intermingle in the best natural manner possible under the roof of a protected environment. Animals in the best state of health will attract a great deal of business in form of tourism and ensure their safety from extinction as propagated by hunters and harsh environmental conditions. Whereas wildlife preserves focus mainly on the welfare of animals, nature reserves are consistent of both animals and the kind of environment they are placed in. The main aim of the government in setting up of nature reserves is to ensures a sound inter relationship between the wildlife and the environment they live in. The first country in the world to host a wildlife sanctuary is believed to be Sri-Lanka where it first occurred in the third century BC.

The idea of setting up national parks for their importance is however not supported by all people across the divide as most others believe that benefits accrued from destruction of forests the natural scenery hold greater weight than what governments intend by setting up national parks. They argue in terms of raw materials in the parks but research has proven that government's efforts to establish parks remain long term and are a source of income for rural populations. Other than national parks there exist areas of outstanding beauty mostly located on the countryside and serve the same purpose as the national parks only that their management in terms of protection and animal care is dependent on local communities and authorities as opposed to national parks that do fall under the jurisdiction of the government. Another more similar establishment is the national scenic area which is conserved by the government for their abundance in beautiful scenarios which normally include coastlines, woodlands and moorlands. Their main obligation is to restore the beauty that was posed to them by the issue of industrialization. The main benefits include providing the people with a beautiful scenario to watch and thereby providing some sort of spiritual fulfillment as they walk or drive past them.

Values of wildlife and its preservation in the US remain of great importance and are carefully taken care of with regard to their significance. One of the values entails the aesthetic value of wildlife that lies in beauty, followed by the scientific value that enables researchers and learners to carry out studies on animals for the purpose of medicinal manufacturing and so on. The other value portrayed by the wildlife sanctuary is the ecological bit that allows that allows the animals to relate with the environment around them. Commercial values also stand out and therefore prompt the government to lay down measures that will effectively run the national parks. These include national policies that check the wildlife conservation and which are dispensed by the highly trained members of the forest service. The other policy that impacts conservation is embodied in the endangered species act. Here the committee manages rare, endangered and lastly the threatened species.

In conclusion national parks are of immeasurable importance and therefore need to be given the desired attention. Apart from minority groups who disclaim the idea as not effective enough, research has proven that protection of sensitive flora and fauna as done by the government is of high value consideration the time frame in which benefits are enjoyed by the whole community. The importance of national parks stretches beyond us as a nation or even individuals. They are a symbol of our national heritage, a preserve of our identity. They should be managed and givent the attention they deserve for the sake of posterity. If this does not happen , all the animals will be found as stuffed animals in the museums just like the extinct mamoths dinosaurs and saber tooth tigers.