Wikipedia:Today's featured list/December 11, 2015
There are more than 60 nature reserves in the London Borough of Barnet. The borough, which is on the northern outskirts of London, is mainly residential, but it has large areas of green space and farmland. The spread of suburban development into the countryside was halted by the designation of a statutory Green Belt around London after the Second World War, and almost one third of Barnet's area of 8,663 hectares (21,410 acres) is Green Belt. Barnet has large areas with designations intended to protect them from "inappropriate development", and to "provide the strongest protection for the preservation of Barnet's green and natural open spaces". As well as 2,466 hectares (6,090 acres) hectares of Green Belt, Barnet has another 690 hectares (1,700 acres) of Metropolitan Open Land, which receive a similar level of protection. Most of Barnet lies over London Clay, which is poor for agriculture, and open land is mainly used for horse grazing, playing fields, parks and golf courses. (Full list...)