Representatives from all 14 National Parks in the UK will be getting together for a three-day conference to discuss topics ranging from climate change to how protecting wildlife can help the local economy.

The event, which starts on June 6, is being hosted by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) and will be held at the Malham Tarn Field Studies Centre.

Tim Thom, the YDNPA’s Senior Wildlife Conservation Officer, said: “It is a major event in the family of UK National Parks and it’s a chance for us to swap experiences and information and to discuss how we are going to tackle issues which affect us all, like climate change.

“We can also hear about the different projects being carried out in individual National Parks and get ideas from each other about best practice.”

The conference will include discussions on topics ranging from management of different habitats to monitoring wildlife.

And delegates will have the chance to get out and about, visiting the Ingleborough National Nature reserve and farms involved in the Limestone Country Project, a joint venture involving the YDNPA, English Nature, the EU LIFE-nature fund, the National Trust and other partners.

The five-year project aims to encourage farmers to return to mixed livestock grazing using native cattle breeds. This helps to preserve species of plants and flowers currently at risk from heavy grazing by sheep and provides a valuable extra income for the farmers from the much-sought after meat.

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For more information please call the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority's Media Office on 01756 751616. Alternatively, please email media@yorkshiredales.org.uk

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