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Habitats

The Yorkshire Dales National Park is home to a wide range of habitats for wildlife to live in. The Yorkshire Dales National Park is part lowland and part upland and the range of habitats from lowland meadow to upland heath reflects this.

Many of the habitats are more common in some parts of the National Park than others and occur together where conditions suit them. For example, calcareous grassland, limestone pavement and upland mixed ashwoods are typical of areas where Carboniferous limestone occurs and are concentrated in the Craven District of the Park. As can be seen from the following pages, many of the habitats listed can be grouped into broad land classes within the National Park.

Habitat Survey 2010

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is undertaking a ten year rolling programme of habitat surveying across the whole of the park. The first phase was to survey Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) habitat, outside of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), in Lower Wharfedale. The results have been collated and a report can be viewed via the following link:

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Yorkshire Dales National Park

Malham Cove, © Príamo Melo.
Hardraw Force waterfall, © Britainonview / Martin Brent.
Limestone pavement, © Britainonview / Martin Brent.
Twisleton Scars, © Martin Priestley.
Swaledale sheep, © Britainonview.
Hay meadow in Malham, © Rick at Fortybelowzero.

Limestone country

350 million year old limestone rocks created from ancient coral seas producing a wonderful rocky landscape with internationally important habitats and species that thrive in these lime-rich areas.

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Moorland and moorland fringe

Windswept purple heather moorland and blanket bog fringed with rough rushy pastures. An internationally important home to breeding birds such as merlin and golden plover. Alive in spring and summer with the sound of the lapwing and curlew.

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Dales

A landscape of walled fields enclosing flower-rich meadows and pastures made by people over centuries of traditional farming practices.

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Woodlands and scrub

Patches of small farm woodlands in inaccessible gills and on steep limestone slopes. In the south and west internationally important upland ashwoods next to limestone pavement and grassland with more acidic oakwoods in the north and west.

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Rivers and streams

Clean powerful upland rivers quick to flood and recede feeding most of the rivers in North Yorkshire to the Humber. Home to a wide range of wildlife from crayfish to otters.

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Built environment

Historic villages and towns connected by country roads and ancient routeways. Old buildings with crevices for bats and birds to nest and roost. Flower-rich road and rail verges provide refuges for uncommon flowers.

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Sorry to interrupt, but what do you think of this website?

You could win a luxury picnic hamper packed to the brim with delicious local produce that you could enjoy in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. All you have to do is fill in our quick survey.

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