Special quality: Wildlife and habitats
# Internationally important and locally distinctive wildlife and habitats
# Description of special quality
This special quality encompasses the varied ecology of the PDNP, including individual species as well as the habitats they require. The PDNP contains many habitats, from nutrient poor acid grassland and blanket bog to species rich meadows and limestone grassland. Many rare bird species can be found in these habitats, including the characteristic moorland wader assemblage. Human landscapes are also an important feature for wildlife, including heather moorland and lead mining remains. As the southern edge of the Pennines, the PDNP is a refuge for many upland species that cannot be found further southeast.
Features in this category: Lead mining, Acid grassland, Blanket bog, Heather moorland and mixed heath, Limestone grassland, Meadows, Wet grassland and rush pasture, Wet heath, Wet woodland, Woodlands, Dewponds and other ponds, Reservoirs, Rivers and streams, Adder, Aquatic invertebrates, Bilberry bumblebee, Curlew, Dipper, Dunlin, Golden plover, Great crested newt, Lapwing, Merlin, Mountain hare, Pied flycatcher, Ring ouzel, Short-eared owl, Snipe, Swallow, Twite, Waxcap fungi
Below is a summary of the some of the more significant impacts that climate change could have on this special quality.
# Overall vulnerability of special quality
This special quality is the most vulnerable special quality to climate change. This is because 23% of the 31 features assessed have been rated as ‘very high’ on our scale and almost 70% were rated as ‘high’. The rest have been rated as ‘moderate’, and no features were given a ‘low’ rating. Changes to rainfall patterns, with wetter winters and drier summers as well as extremes of drought or flooding, are some of the key factors likely to affect habitats and species in the PDNP.
Additionally, poor current condition has contributed to many features being rated as ‘very high’ or ‘high’ in terms of overall vulnerability to climate change. Current condition is usually due to non-climate factors. In the case of habitats, poor current condition is often because only small fragments remain – as in the case of meadows and wet woodlands. Interconnection between habitats is also often poor, making them less resilient to change. Past and current human actions such as agricultural improvement of grassland, the switch from hay to silage, and the drainage of wet areas have also contributed to this high vulnerability. Quality of the remaining patches of habitat is also important. For instance, the extremely degraded condition of blanket bog in the PDNP makes it vulnerable despite there being large continuous areas present.
The PDNP is home to a range of species adapted to cooler upland or northerly conditions. Many are on the southern edge of their range in the UK and are unlikely to cope with projected climatic changes, including merlin, twite and the bilberry bumblebee. Modelling shows some may be lost from the PDNP entirely. In addition, human responses to climate change, particularly through changes to agricultural practices, could have profound effects on some species.