Mark Carwardine's AT A GLANCE...NATIONAL PARKS

摘要

That depends on where you are, because each country designates its national parks differently. There is, however, an official definition agreed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN): in a nutshell, it is a large, naturally beautiful, ecologically rich area, relatively unaltered by people, with legal protection for its wildlife and habitats, that promotes education and recreation. The best national parks are hugely popular - America's alone had a staggering 82.8 million visitors in 2016 - and protect some of the most important areas of biodiversity on Earth.