2011-07-25
Populations of some threatened species of animals are improving in the Yorkshire Dales National Park – bucking the trend nationally.
A number of animal and plant species and some important habitats are doing well thanks to a 10-year Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) for the Yorkshire Dales National Park that was launched in 2000.
And a new plan for the next decade is being unveiled today to build on that success.
The first LBAP – called ‘Nature in the Dales’ – has guided the work of many organisations, local groups and individuals in the National Park. The plan, coordinated by conservation experts in the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) and launched by the Yorkshire Dales Biodiversity Forum, identified a range of nationally and regionally important habitats and species in the National Park that were at risk, and set out the conservation work needed to protect them.
In a report published today, the YDNPA highlights that this has been largely beneficial to the conservation of biodiversity in the National Park as there has been major progress in bringing some of the most important habitats into positive management. In addition, targeted conservation action for some species has been shown to be successful, with many bucking national population trends.
Adrian Shepherd, the YDNPA’s Head of Land Management, said: “This is great news for the National Park and is a real testimony to the work done over the last 10 years by landowners, farmers, Natural England, the YDNPA and the other agencies in delivering a wide range of collaborative projects.”
Despite these successes, there is still much work to do and the conservation actions that are needed for priority species and habitats over the next 10 years are included in the new LBAP – called ‘2020 Vision’ – that is officially launched today.
Gordon Haycock, chair of the Yorkshire Dales Biodiversity Forum, said: “The delivery of the ambitious targets in the new LBAP over the next 10 years represents a significant conservation challenge. We need to follow on from the successes of the last plan to ensure that the future of the animals, plants and habitats that make the Yorkshire Dales National Park such a special place is secure.”
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