The formation of the National Parks and Wildlife Service in 1967 effected the management of the Park, which was previously controlled by a Trust. The Trust was retained as an advisory committee. The NPWS brought a philosophical shift in the management of the Park with the aim of returning the Park to its natural state: cars were restricted, many huts and former buildings were removed and the ornamental gardens were no longer maintained. From the inception of the Park its primary function had been to provide recreational facilities to the overcrowded city dwellers. With the advent of the conservation movement, beginning in the 1920s, this aim came under attack and was slowly eroded.
