There are many geographical areas that, due to their exceptional wealth of flora and fauna, become protected areas from an environmental point of view. This allows it to be areas that, thanks to a very restrictive regulation, become spaces that remain as possible as possible of human activities that could contaminate and degrade their wealth and biological and ecological value.
However, one of the issues that arise with respect to parks on their typologies. Although there are other types, the most common are the so -called national parks and natural parks, which are usually very similar areas and, sometimes, we can talk about parks that have both recognitions. So,What are national and natural parks and their differences? Continue reading Ecology Verde because in this article we explain it to you.
What is a national park
He National Park concept is associated with a geographical areawhich can be both terrestrial and aquatic, which, due to its particular Flora and fauna wealthit is protected in a special way to improve your conservation. This protection refers to certain limitations, such as, that it cannot be built in these areas, as well as that activities that would be harmful to the environment, or that, for example, the number of visitors who can access the interior in a certain period of time, as well as that they have to do so in special vehicles enabled for it are not developed, instead of doing so in their respective private vehicles.
Likewise, national parks, beyond environmental value They have, they also have a marked value of scientific interest. This refers, in general, to the presence of native and typical species of that area, which makes the scientific interest, especially the biological, also an incentive when preserving that area in perfect conditions of respect and without altering the ecosystem as much as possible.
Finally, as the name implies, national parks are also characterized by the fact that management is usually done by the state governmentthat is to say the government of the nation, hence the name.
What is a natural park
As with the national parks, the Natural parks They are spaces that, due to its particular ecosystem of Flora and faunathey must receive a special treatment that protects this space. In this sense, the same protection measures already mentioned or, at least, very similar measures are taken into account.
However, unlike what happened with the case of national parks, natural parks do not usually have a presence of native species so marked. Consequently, despite being spaces of great natural wealthThey are not so important from a scientific point of view, since the species that can be found in their territory are also present in other geographical areas or parks.
Finally, another of the factors that is usually decisive when differentiating a natural park from a national one is that, the natural parks are usually managed by local or regional governments. That is, they do not depend directly on the government of the Nation, but on the regional governments where they are located. For example, in the case of Spain, natural parks depend administratively on the autonomous communities.
In this ecology article, you can learn much more on this subject and know the main natural parks of Spain.
Differences between national parks and natural parks
As we have seen, National parks have greater protection that natural parks and, as for the parks managementnationals depend directly on the national authority instead of the regional. This is due to another important difference between national and natural parks, the fact that in the former there are Endemic and native species that there are no other places in many others, so they require special attention.
However, there are particular cases in which the interest of the protected area is such that, although it is not the most common, formulas that combine national parks with natural parks can be found.
Doñana National and Natural Park
One of the best examples that exist in this regard is in Spain, specifically in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. Doñana It is an area of special environmental interest due to its marshes and Great biodiversity of flora and fauna that can be found in this space. This caused, in 1969, the original park, a national park dependent directly on the Government of the Nation.
However, in 1989, the original National Park was expanded, since the border areas also had an environmental interest of special importance. In addition, this new area was also expanded in 1997, which made it one of the main environmental spaces protected from the Iberian Peninsula.
In this way, Currently, Doñana is composed of a national park that occupies the heart and the most important area of the park, while, around it, another protected area extends, which is a continuation of the National Park but, in this case, it is a natural park. In this way, we have an example of how both typologies can live perfectly and that, in fact, fulfill different functions depending on each case.
If you want to read more articles similar to What are national and natural parks and their differenceswe recommend that you enter our category of ecosystems.
