South West Peak Action
The Peak District BAP 2011-2020 requires a combined approach to achieving our targets for biodiversity. This approach will include:
- Large area projects
- Habitat-specific and species-specific targeted action
- Site-based work
- Core work by partners, and
- Delivery through agri-environment and woodland management agreements.
Planned Action
Action in the South West Peak will involve generally smaller area projects than those in the Dark Peak, with focus on moorland fringes, conservation of breeding waders and enhancing woodlands.
Projects in the South West Peak include:
South West Peak Landscape Partnership
A partnership between the National Park Authority and eleven other partners has been awarded development funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the Landscape at a Crossroads project. The development funding is part of a £2.5m earmarked grant. The Landscape Partnership aims to address several issues around building the relationship between people and landscape, maintaining and restoring key habitats and species, training and volunteering, community projects and supporting land owners and managers to conserve heritage features.
Wader Recovery Project
A partnership between Natural England, the National Park Authority and landowners to address the decline in wader populations and breeding success through close working with landowners to enhance moorland fringe habitats.
Moorland Higher Level Stewardship
As Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) agreements come to an end, converting these into the newer Higher Level Stewardship scheme will be a priority. This is already happening on the Warslow Moors Estate, with several hundred hectares of moorland and moorland fringe habitats now in ten year management agreements to enhance, restore and create new habitats.
Catchment Sensitive Farming Project
A joint initiative between the Environment Agency and Natural England, funded by Defra and the Rural Development Programme for England. Working in priority catchments within England, the projects aim to deliver practical solutions and targeted support to enable farmers and land managers to take action to reduce diffuse water pollution from agriculture to protect water bodies and the environment.
Dane Valley Woods Project
A National Park Authority Project aimed at achieving favourable or recovering condition in the ancient woodlands of the Cheshire Dane valley; to extend the area of semi-natural woodland; to restructure existing plantation woodlands to increase their wildlife value particularly to woodland birds; and to achieve whole farm/land-holding conservation benefits through help and advice with appropriate grant schemes.