Special quality: Wildlife and habitats
# Potential impacts of climate change
# Climate projection: Increased winter rainfall
# Effect: Greater flooding and waterlogging
# Potential impacts:
- Some habitats or species rely on a particular level of grazing and could be impacted if land becomes less desirable for grazing management
- In some areas, livestock may become concentrated on the remaining unflooded fields leading to overgrazing and poaching of ground
- Overgrazing can lead to soil compaction which negatively affects invertebrates, birds and fungi and can worsen run-off effects
- Overgrazing can increase nest trampling, negatively affecting birds
# Climate projection: Drier summers
# Effect: Land uneconomic for grazing
# Potential impacts:
- Some habitats or species rely on a particular level of grazing and could be impacted if less land is available for grazing management
# Effect: Increased periods of drought
# Potential impacts:
- Decline of wet habitats and wet ground specialist species
- Reduced habitat space for freshwater species
# Effect: Lower water levels in rivers, reservoirs and ponds
# Potential impacts:
- Increased concentration of nutrients in waterbodies making the habitat less suitable for freshwater species
- Some ponds and river headwaters may become seasonal, reducing the available habitat space for freshwater species
# Effect: Increased frequency and severity of wildfire
# Potential impacts:
- Increased erosion and loss of peat due to wildfire
- Direct loss of terrestrial and aquatic plants and animals and/or reduced breeding success
- Changes to the species composition of habitats, which favour fire-adapted and/or invasive species
# Effect: Higher visitor numbers
# Potential impacts:
- Increased habitat damage from trampling and path erosion, and increased littering.
- Increased ignition sources for wildfire
- Disturbance of sensitive species, in particular by visitors with dogs
# Climate projection: Increased annual temperatures
# Effect: Reduced availability of suitable climate space
# Potential impacts:
- Suitable conditions for species are likely to move northwards as well as increase in altitude, which is likely to affect Eastern Moors and South West Peak areas the most
- Species already restricted to the Dark Peak or high tops may be lost entirely as they move northwards or cannot access increased altitudes
- As some species are lost, others may colonise from south of the PDNP
# Climate projection: Changes in rainfall patterns
# Effect: Interference with seasonal management
# Potential impacts:
- Heather burning and cutting could become more difficult and need to take place at different times of year, which could impact species that benefit from this management
# Climate projection: Combined effects
# Effect: Intensification of land management practices to counter more variable conditions
# Potential impacts:
- Habitat condition and biodiversity could become poorer under intensified management
# Effect: Climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts increase
# Potential impacts:
- Initiatives put in place to improve habitats for carbon capture and natural flood management through processes such as rewetting and tree planting could have a positive impact on this special quality
# Effect: Land converted to arable use from pasture
# Potential impacts:
- Less land available for grazing management that some habitats or species rely on
# Climate projection: Hotter summers
# Effect: Higher water temperatures in rivers, reservoirs and ponds
# Potential impacts:
- Cool-adapted species are disadvantaged
# Effect: Higher visitor numbers
# Potential impacts:
- Increased visitor pressure on cooler habitats such as woodlands and waterbodies