# Special quality features assessment approach
The PDNP’s special qualities are broad statements that together capture and communicate the essence of what is special about the PDNP. To assess their current condition and vulnerability to climate change, we had to assess the features that make up each special quality rather than the special quality statement itself.
To enable monitoring, each special quality had already been broken down into groups of tangible features that together make up the building blocks of the special quality. For instance, ‘Beautiful views created by contrasting landscapes and dramatic geology’ has 100 tangible features that can be measured, such as gorges, reservoir valleys and moorland hills. These tangible features are grouped into four categories: ‘beautiful views’, ‘distinctive geology’, ‘views across contrasting landscapes’ and ‘landscapes of harmony and detail’.
Due to the large number of features (over 530 in total), we carried out the vulnerability assessment on the highest priority features in order to focus efforts and allow recommendations that deliver the greatest impact. We determined priority with expert consultation using a ranking system that took into account available data, current condition, ability to influence future condition and priority in relation to climate change. To ensure no duplication of effort, we grouped similar features and assessed them together to simplify the assessment process. We removed those features that we could not assess at this time. Following this, 156 features remained (approximately 30% of the total number of special quality features) in 62 feature groups. These are the features that we assessed within this vulnerability assessment.