Limestone Pavement

Limestone pavement is a unique and rare habitat in Britain with the majority of the area occurring in western North Yorkshire and south and east Cumbria. Consequently, limestone pavement continues to be on the UK list of priority habitats for biodiversity action. The Yorkshire Dales National Park contains approximately half of the limestone pavement area in Britain and is therefore an extremely important area for this internationally recognised habitat.

Limestone pavements consist of a near horizontal surface of Carboniferous limestone, irregularly corrugated and furrowed by chemical weathering, with deeper fissures or ‘grikes’ corresponding to natural joints within the rock, resulting in the formation of discrete separated blocks or ‘clints’. The biodiversity of limestone pavements depends primarily on the depth of grikes and the level of grazing by livestock and rabbits. The majority of limestone pavements in the Dales are heavily affected by grazing with vegetation growth confined to the deeper and less accessible grikes. Ferns are the most characteristic plant species of limestone pavements. Some of these, like rigid buckler fern and baneberry, are extremely rare and confined exclusively to limestone pavements. Limestone pavements are of very high biodiversity importance in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. For more information about plants of limestone pavements follow the link below.

Links:

To view PDFs you will need Acrobat Reader. Download Acrobat Reader (opens in new window)

Thom, T.J., Swain, J., Brandes, E., Burrows, H., Gill, A., Tupholme, A., & Vernon, N., 2003. Limestone Pavement in the Yorkshire Dales National Park - Assessing 30 years of change. Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority Conservation Research & Monitoring Report No.2. (opens in new window)

Limestone Pavement Habitat Action Plan (opens in new window)

Limestone pavement plants (opens in new window)

Other sources of information:

Thom, T (2005) Limestone Pavement Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. For more information about YDNPA publications for sale follow the link provided.

Waltham, T (1987) Karst & Caves Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. For more information about YDNPA publications for sale follow the link provided.

YDNPA (2002) Malham Landscape Trail Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. For more information about YDNPA publications for sale follow the link provided.