The
National Parks of England and Wales are areas of relatively undeveloped and scenic landscape that are designated under the
National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. Despite their similar name, national parks in
England and
Wales are quite different from
national parks in many other countries, which are usually owned and managed by the government as a protected community resource, and which do not usually include permanent human communities. In England and Wales, designation as a national park may include substantial settlements and human land uses which are often integral parts of the landscape, and land within a national park remains largely in private ownership.