National Parks in the US: Existing Issues

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The National Park Service has performed for more than a hundred years. Nowadays, it protects more than 400 parks throughout the country (“Federal land acquisition,” n.d.). However, the parks are faced with serious problems that are necessary to address in order to preserve such a vulnerable system. The main goal of this paper is to discuss the existing issues related to national parks in the United States, highlighting environmental policies.

Millions of tourists visit national parks in the United States, and every year this service attracts more and more people. However, the increased popularity of such areas causes various management problems. For example, tourists who come to the Grand Canyon are much more interested in the services that the national park offers rather than in preservation and tourism. Therefore, such parks have become good businesses.

The first significant issue related to national parks is a human impact. The parks need to be preserved for citizens and tourists from all over the world. These areas are popular destinations for a large number of people, but it leads to serious consequences such as environmental damage. The National Park Service had to recycle more than 40 tonnes of waste that was produced by visitors in 2013 (Taylor, 2016). Therefore, the service requires additional support from governments, non-governmental organizations, private companies, and citizens. One of the environmental policies of the National Park Service is aimed at reducing landfill-bound waste. The service specialists develop various strategies to minimize the negative impact of tourists.

Another significant issue is federal legislation related to the environment. Governments have to promote environmental policies in order to preserve national parks. There are different examples of such laws. The Land and Water Conservation Fund Act in 1964 obliged oil and gas companies to spend a part of their revenues on the protection of public lands and waters (“LWCF overview,” n.d). Therefore, such firms had to support federal and local environmental programs. However, Congress often uses this money to fund other projects, which negatively affects the National Park Service.

Biological threats are another important problem. Global development results not only in new environment-friendly technologies but also in serious damage to nature. Ships often bring dangerous species from overseas that spread throughout the country and distribute various diseases. For example, over the past ten years, white-nose syndrome has caused the deaths of approximately six million bats (Taylor, 2016). Global warming is another negative effect of the progress of human civilization. It also creates biological threats within the national parks. For example, the number of glaciers in Montana Glacier Park has become three times lesser than it was a hundred years ago (Taylor, 2016). Similar problems occur in all parks in the country.

In conclusion, the National Park Service promotes the ideas of appreciation for nature. Nowadays, people spend most time indoors, thus they lose the connection with the outside world. The service specialists cultivate conservation ethics to enhance the understanding of the importance of the environment. Therefore, the main goal of this structure is to create a new generation of supporters.

I believe that it is necessary to continue emphasizing the importance of environmental protection. People should spend more time outside, in parks and forests. It is also necessary to teach children about the surrounding world and its problems. Every person can make a positive impact on the environment, and thus it is necessary to support the National Park Service as its policies provide effective measures to address the existing challenges.