Danish vs. American National Parks

Danish and American national parks are similar and different in several ways. The Nordsjæland forests and lakes that we saw today around Gribskov are all part of a proposed national park. The forests in Gribsov have already been named as a Natura 2000 area, signifying European Union recognition and preservation of the area. If and when the area becomes a national park, farms and structures will remain. Danish national parks are not solely nature. These parks simply manage the land and limit construction of new developments, placing restrictions on the land. In addition, in Danish parks, the goal is reviving historical forestry and wetlands, and conserving existing land. These parks attempt to retain Danes' connections to nature, with nature education and recreation a main focus. Also, reintroduction of species is a major goal in the creation of such parks. There are numerous factors that go into play in these parks, with large scale farmers an obstacle in the creation of new parks. National parks are almost fully funded by the state, and many parties meet before the creation of a new park.

The situation in the United States is quite different. Because the US has much more undeveloped land than Denmark, most national parks are almost entirely all nature.  Roads may pass through, and some structures exist within them, but the situation is nothing like that of Denmark's. Our national parks were created before development reached them, and are therefore untouched. In addition, many of our parks are mountainous, which Denmark does not have. Mountains kept development of encroaching on natural habitats. As a result, it was much more of a simple process declaring national parks. There were much less mayors, farmers, and other residents to argue with to achieve conservation goals. In addition, since many of the habitats have remained untouched, there is less of a need of reintroduction of species and recreating historical landscapes. The main goal of American national parks is recreation and conservation, while that of Denmark's parks is expansion and reintroduction.