Looking After
How we work to look after the National Park, conservation, ranger services, biodiversity and policies.
- The work of the Authority
How we make decisions, the role of Members and staff. - Current consultations
We want your opinions on these consultations - Ranger service
What our rangers and volunteers do around the National Park. - Plans & policies
Corporate plans and policies
Peak District BAP Forum 2008
The Peak District Biodiversity Partnership met at the Medway Centre in Bakewell on the 26th November 2008.
Forty people attended, representing local authorities, recorder groups, industry, government agencies, NGOs, consultancies, rangers and farmers.
As chair of the BAP Partnership, Jane Chapman (PDNPA head of Environment, Heritage and Recreation Strategy) welcomed delegates and introduced the key note speaker Harry Bowell, Reserves Manager for the RSPB Northern Region, and National Park Member champion for biodiversity.
Keynote presentation
Harry’s talk summarised the progress made nationally towards the Government target to halt biodiversity loss by 2010, as informed by the recently published House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee report. He then talked about how biodiversity is faring at the regional and local level.
Keynote
presentation (1.8MB) 
Harry was followed by three guest speakers beginning with Helen Perkins, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s Water for Wildlife Project Manager.
Wetlands habitats
Helen explained some of the issues surrounding wetland habitats and species in the Peak District and the partnership projects which are tackling them.
Wetlands presentation (2.4MB)
Habitat management
Next, Paul Finn, Head Ranger with Derbyshire Countryside Service talked about habitat management benefiting both wildlife and people using the examples of the Monsall trail and Bluebell Wood Local Nature Reserve.
People presentation (2.9MB)
Landscapes
Garrie Tiedeman, Landscape Architect at PDNPA then broadened the focus to landscapes, with an explanation of the Landscape Character Assessment which has recently been completed for the Peak District.
Landscape
presentation (1.5MB)
BAP Summary for 2008
Karen Shelley, Biodiversity Action Plan coordinator for the Peak District, then summarised the BAP activity of the last year, and introduced the workshop topics which were to be the focus of the remainder of the event.
BAP
summary presentation (1.2MB)
Workshops
Delegates were divided into five groups, each discussing two challenges facing the Peak District from the following: the decline in farmland birds, how to increase biodiversity in the White Peak, understanding and sharing data, developing a Wetland Vision, and a woodland birds project.
General Workshop Summary
Many useful discussions took place in the workshops, which were also informed by the presentations earlier in the day.
A number of common themes emerged from the workshops:
- The need to improve our knowledge and how we share it between groups, including overcoming certain barriers such as confidentiality
- The need to be able to measure and monitor our activity and how it impacts on biodiversity
- Learning from ourselves, each other and others, and sharing that knowledge
- The need for coordination between organisations, projects and individuals
- Changing to think on a landscape scale
- The usefulness of a Vision or a Strategy to guide activity
- Putting local activity into the regional and national context for guidance, funding, and support
- Increased involvement and engagement with landowners and managers, volunteers and the public
- Better interpretation of biodiversity to the public
A summary of each workshop discussions can be downloaded below
Workshop 1 – Lapwings (32KB)
Workshop
2 - White Peak (29KB)
Workshop 3 –
Data (35KB)
Workshop 4 summary will appear here soon.
Workshop
5 – Wetlands (29KB)
