State of the Park Report

Internationally important and locally distinctive wildlife and habitats

# Protection & natural designation

Over one million species globally are threatened with extinction [1]. The UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world [2], with 15% of species assessed at risk of extinction, including 30% of UK bird species [3].

Although there is no comprehensive biodiversity data set that covers the entire PDNP, the data that is available indicates that the PDNP has not been immune to these biodiversity losses.

# National Character Areas

NCAs divide England into 159 distinct natural areas. Each is defined by a unique combination of landscape, biodiversity, geodiversity, history, and cultural and economic activity. Their boundaries follow natural lines in the landscape rather than administrative boundaries[4].

National Character Areas in the Peak District

# The Dark Peak

The Dark Peak has internationally important moorland, mostly made up of blanket bog and upland heathland. There are also extensive cliff and scree edges, which support specialist bird species such as ring ouzel. A vast amount of restoration work has and continues to be delivered on the Dark Peak moorlands through landscape-scale projects such as the Moors for the Future Partnership and the National Trust’s High Peak Moors Vision. However, there is still a long way to go to restore the full wetland functionality to much of the peat. Burning on peat, wildfire, moorland infrastructure and bird of prey populations remain key challenges to be addressed.

# The White Peak

The White Peak is known for its ravine ash woodlands, characteristic diverse grasslands and dew ponds, which provide biodiversity havens and are recognised by international designation in many of the dales. However, the White Peak lacks joined-up habitats that are large enough support sustainable populations and provide the full range of public goods. The White Peak Partnership seeks to address this and has set out its vision for the White Peak. Through the White Peak Partnership, Land Managers’ Forum and other partnership schemes, the White Peak has been selected as a test for Defra’s new Environmental Land Management scheme (2019-2020), and is also running small-scale practical field trials to research methods for joining up fragmented habitats across the agriculturally-intensive plateau.

# The South West Peak

The South West Peak has an enclosed farmed landscape with a pastoral character created by semi-improved grassland, hay meadows and rushy pastures with springs and flushes, as well as a mosaic landscape of productive farmland, small woodlands and moorland. The area is the subject of a major Heritage Lottery landscape partnership (the South West Peak Landscape Partnership) focusing on landscape, habitats, key species and cultural heritage.

# 1/3 of land in the PDNP is designated for protection through legislation

Approximately one third of the PDNP is designated under the following legislation. Most areas that are of importance for wildlife or geology are covered by more than one of these legislative designations, and many areas by all four.

Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) (opens new window) are designated under the EC Habitats Directive and form part of the European network of Natura 2000 sites. Two SACs fall within the PDNP:

  • South Pennine Moors designated for their dry heath, blanket bog and oak woods
  • Peak District Dales designated for their limestone grasslands and mixed ash woods.

Special Protection Areas (SPAs) (opens new window) are protected sites classified in accordance with Article 4 of the EC Birds Directive and form part of the European network of Natura 2000 sites. One SPA falls within the PDNP:

  • South Pennine Moors designated for breeding populations of merlin and golden plover.

National Nature Reserves (NNRs) (opens new window) are designated as sites of national importance for habitats, species and geology under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. Three NNRs fall within the PDNP:

  • Derbyshire Dales, comprising five dales (Lathkill, Cressbrook, Monks, Hay and Long)
  • Dovedale
  • Kinder Scout.

# 96% of land designated as SSSI is in a favourable or unfavourable recovering condition

SSSIs are sites that are nationally important for wildlife, or geological or physiographical features, or both, and are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended).

SSSi Condition Natural England PDNP 2021

# SSSI condition has remained broadly unchanged since 2010

The area of SSSIs and Natura 2000 sites in the PDNP has remained broadly unchanged since 2005. As of April 2020, SSSIs made up 52,238 hectares (36%) of land within the PDNP. 96% of land designated as SSSI is in a favourable or unfavourable recovering condition.

Condition of SSSIs (1995-2000) in the Peak District National Park by land area (hectares)

  1. E. Brondizio, J. Settele, S. Diaz and H. Ngo, “Global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services,” IPBES, 2019. ↩︎

  2. D. Hayhow, F. Burns, M. Eaton, N. Al Fulaij, T. August, L. Babey, L. Bacon, C. Bingham, J. Boswell, K. Boughey, T. Bereton, E. Brookman, D. Brooks, D. Bullock, O. Burke, M. Collis, L. Corbet, N. Cornish, S. De Massimi, J. Densham, E. Dunn, S. Elliot, T. Gent, J. Godber, S. Hamilton, S. Havery, S. Hawkins, J. Henney, K. Holmes, N. Hutchinson, N. Isaac, D. Johns, C. Macadam, F. Mathews, P. Nicolet, D. Noble, C. Outhwaite, G. Powney, P. Richardson, D. Roy, D. Sims, S. Smart, K. Stevenson, R. Stroud, K. Walker, J. Webb, R. Wynde and R. Gregory, “State of Nature,” The State of Nature partnership, 2016. ↩︎

  3. D. Hayhow, M. Eaton, A. Stanbury, F. Burns, W. Kirby, N. Bailey, B. Beckmann, J. Bedford, P. Boersch-Supan, F. Coomber, E. Dennis, S. Dolman, E. Dunn, J. Hall, C. Harrower, J. Hatfield, J. Hawley, K. Haysom, J. Hughes, D. Johns, F. Mathews, A. McQuatters-Gollop, D. Noble, C. Outhwaite, J. Pearce-Higgins, O. Pescott, G. Powney and N. Symes, “State of Nature,” The State of Nature partnership, 2019. ↩︎

  4. Gov.UK, “https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-character-area-profiles-data-for-local-decision-making,” 2020. ↩︎

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