• Living in a sustainable way and working with nature.
• Maintaining the ethic of public “freedom of entry and access”* to public parks [ public reserves, foreshore, waterways and the common land]
• Undertaking ethical activity in public parks.
• Respecting both exotic and indigenous life and acknowledging endemic native species need of greater recognition and protection.
• Balancing the need to protect and manage heritage for the “benefit and enjoyment”* of the public in parks.
• Advocating practical, innovative and cost effective park management
• Ensuring respect for activities on public parks and supporting peaceful ways to resolve conflicts of use.

“Every new enclosure of the commons involves the infringement of some ones personal liberty” Garrett Hardin

“The tragedy of the commons is not the tragedy of their existence but the tragedy of their disappearance” George Monbiot

“Ecological restoration and environmental protection are essential to the quality of life of urban dwellers. Interaction with nature by city dwellers brings direct social, economic, and cultural benefits.” IUCN world Park Cngress 2003

We need green space for activity, nature and for our souls. There is   something innate about being active and in touch with nature and acknowledging other living beings that are essential to our living.

The common green space of the public park provides a space for this need and for many that do not have use or access to private green space. The age of democracy and the collective society created the public park. Royalty, generous rich individuals and social governments opened and created for parks for public use however, parks are under threat.

Crime, over use and capture by interest groups are some of the threats that endanger the public good of parks. Also, the gap between rich and poor and crowded modern city may be limiting the access and use of parks with social and environmental consequences not studied or imagined.

An answer to deal with this is for individuals to act and in their own way work and promote the importance of public parks so that they can be passed to future generations.

Park Care is focused on individuals undertaking “hands on community action” to improve the ethics, standards and management practices in public parks. This action comes from individual enjoyment, recreation and altruism.

Respect for individual action remains paramount in Park Care within a framework of learning, co-operation, safety and supporting others to reflect the ethic of voluntary action on common land or public domain.

Public agencies and their agents have legal authority for parks but the final authority and responsibility rests with the will and interest coming from a community of individuals and involved citizens.

As a majority of people are now urban based the challenge of public parks now comes from cities – the challenge of parks is an urban issue.

Park Care is about individuals caring for public parks and acting on the following: 

• Living in a sustainable way and working with nature.
• Maintaining the ethic of public “freedom of entry and access”* to public parks [ public reserves, foreshore, waterways and the common land]
• Undertaking ethical activity in public parks.
• Respecting both exotic and indigenous life and acknowledging endemic native species need of greater recognition and protection.
• Balancing the need to protect and manage heritage for the “benefit and enjoyment”* of the public in parks.
• Advocating practical, innovative and cost effective park management
• Ensuring respect for activities on public parks and supporting peaceful ways to resolve conflicts of use.

Kit Howden July 2009

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