How national parks failed nature – and how to fix them

The image of huge, glorious landscapes, where wildlife runs free under the protection of the state, is far from reality

• England's national parks overseen by bloated', mostly white male boards

What do you think of when you think of a national park? Is it a wide area of glorious natural beauty, where wildlife runs free under the protection of the state? Or is it a wide area mostly farmed by private landowners, in which nature is faring worse than outside its boundaries, and largely off-limits to the public?

In England, the reality is the latter, and this matters. The country is one of the most nature-depleted nations in the world, in the bottom 10% of nations for biodiversity. Nature is in freefall in our national parks," says Dr Rose O'Neill, the chief executive of the Campaign for National Parks (CNP).