National Parks around the globe

Nearly 100 countries around the world have lands classified as a National park .

A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments.  Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land.  Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently, there is a common idea: the conservation of ‘wild nature’ for posterity and as a symbol of national pride.

In the Wales we have 3 National Parks, the Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia National Park and the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park of course.

Recently a colleague from The Santa Monica Mountains Fund contacted us. Like the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Trust, they are the official non-profit supporting their National Park particularly funding wildlife research, education and trail and eco-restoration.

The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in California is the largest urban national park in the United States and similar to Pembrokeshire they are a coastal National Park.

It includes all of the beautiful coastline from Los Angeles through Malibu into Ventura County.  The mountains run parallel to the ocean with the highest being over 3,000 ft. With over 500 miles of trails for hiking and biking and the Backbone Trail extending 67 miles across the mountains, this place offers a haven for recreation and repose from the city.

When we’re allowed to travel again and if you visit the beautiful Pacific west coast of USA, be sure to check out this coastal and mountainous gem hidden in plain site from Los  Angeles!  https://samofund.org/