Snowdonia is one of the eleven National Parks of England and Wales, and is the second largest after the Lake District. Designated in 1951, the Snowdonia National Park Authority celebrated 50 years as a protected landscape in 2001.

With its varied landscape and wide range of habitats,high mountains, wooded valleys, rivers, lakes and coastline, it is not surprising that Snowdonia supports communities of plants and animals which are of international and national importance.

Approximately 20% of the Snowdonia National Park is specially designated by UK and European law to protect its distinctive wildlife.About half of that area has been selected by Government under the European Habitats Directive as a Special Area of Conservation.

Amongst the arctic alpine plants found in the high peaks, the Snowdon Lily is unique to Snowdon. So too is the Snowdon or Rainbow Beetle. Three areas - the Dyfi Estuary Biosphere Reserve, Cwm Idwal and Llyn Tegid are RAMSAR Sites - wetlands of international importance. The entire coast and marine environment below low water mark has been selected for designation as a Marine Special Area of Conservation.

There are 17 National Nature Reserves in Snowdonia; more than in any other National Park in England and Wales; and 56 Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

In Llyn Tegid, the largest natural lake in the Park, lives another Snowdonia rarity, the Gwyniad, a unique sub-species of the European white fish, trapped in the lake at the end of the last Ice Age, 10,000 years ago.