27 mins, 2009        [password required] Key Topics Environment Tourism Management National Parks Culture This is a film about the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales. It's a beautiful place but is its beauty also its biggest threat, attracting more tourists than it can sustain? NATIONAL PARK: Snowdonia is the second largest of Britain's national parks, which were established after years of campaigning by an act of parliament in 1949. The jewel in Snowdonia's crown is Mount Snowdon - the biggest mountain in England and Wales. On top of the mountain is a brand new visitor centre. Some people think it's wonderful. Others think it has ruined the mountain. TOURISM: Tourism is vital to the economy of Snowdonia - but with tourism comes traffic congestion. Buses ease the problems, but the Welsh assembly government has actually axed services. The Welsh Highland Railway is one of the area's popular new tourist attractions - but some residents oppose it. Another problem is the growing number of holiday homes. Local people can't afford to live in the area any more with dire knock-on effects for the Welsh language. THE BIGGEST THREAT OF ALL? But an ecologist says there is a much bigger problem facing Snowdonia than tourism: climate change. Hundreds of years of intensive grazing have robbed the mountains of their trees and soil erosion is releasing carbon into the atmosphere, increasing global warming. Radical action is needed now, it's argued, before it's too late. DVD EXTRAS include items on farming, sustainability, the footpaths, managing traffic, planning tourism and the controversy over a proposed new airport in the national park.