National parks play a vital role in preserving large areas of land that typically encompass natural wonders, cultural heritage, and recreational destinations. In the United States, national parks have become a part of the fabric of the American experience. Since the first national park of Yellowstone was established in 1872 by President Ulysses Grant, the United States has continued the tradition of honoring many historic sites across the country's landscape. In Denmark, the idea of providing citizens with national parks is fairly new. Besides Northeast Greenland National Park (established 1974) in Greenland, Denmark proper only has three national parks at the moment, since 2008. This shortage can be attributed to the simple lack of space needed to create a large national park, as well as the additional land uses that take place throughout the country, such as agriculture and industry.
Kongernes Nordsjælland & Esrum Kloster
When touring Kongernes Nordsjælland, I was very intrigued by the park planning process involved in forming the proposed national park in Northern Zealand. Of course, there was an abundance in forested landscape and pristine lakes, but when observing the proposed park on the map, I was surprised at the scale and inclusivity represented in the plan. In detail, the boundaries include many farms in between the national parks, creating an ecological corridor between the larger protected areas. From an environmental standpoint, I was very happy to see that this was taken into consideration, knowing that natural corridors play a major role in encouraging biodiversity and species migration and ranging. However, I was still conflicted at the actual politics behind the park legislation. I still have questions regarding the security of the farmland; whether it can be developed or rezoned to another land use. Also, I am curious to know more about who is responsible for regulating the farmland in the park, and whether or not the farmland will encounter restrictions in the future. Nevertheless, I think Kongernes Nordsjælland would be an excellent national park for Eastern Denmark, because it will protect the region's existing natural features, increase biodiversity, generate tourism and recreation.
Shenandoah National Park
Front Royal, Virginia U.S.
After walking through Kongernes Nordsjælland Nature Center, I found it somewhat comparable to Shenandoah National Park in the American state of Virginia. Shenandoah is located approximately 70 miles outside of Washington, DC, and follows the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Appalachians. Established in 1935, Shenandoah National Park has provided Virginia, Washington, DC and even Maryland a unique retreat from the crowded urban corridor. Examples of common activities found in the park are not that different from Kongernes Nordsjælland: hiking, biking, and camping, to name a few. For the most part, the landscape of Shenandoah is drastically different from Kongernes Nordsjælland due to its mountainous terrain and old growth forests. However, the park itself has many different segments that are not connected, similar to Kongernes Nordsjælland. Moreover, the park has wild horses and other farm animals in some areas to support tourism and land maintenance. In contrast, I find Shenandoah to have more of an identity and connection to the local population, resulting in a heightened respect towards the region. This aspect is probably a result of the park's history and age, whereas Denmark's proposed national parks are confronted with the harsh politics of the twenty-first century. By and large, Denmark is pursuing similar national park creation to the U.S., but is doing so very efficiently by working with the physical and monetary limitations they experience.
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