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Back to limestone
dales
So where has all the wildlife
gone?
There are 4000 hectares of limestone
dales in the Peak District. They are currently stable but in some cases
their quality is deteriorating for a number of reasons. In particular,
lead
rakes are under the greatest threat.
Past and present farming
practice has played a major part in the shaping of our limestone
dales.
- In the past, creating open grassland for sheep required the clear
felling of the dales' ashwoods.
- Today, over or under grazing can adversely affect the limestone grasslands.
Some plants are more tolerant of gazing e.g. grass and can outgrow rare
species such as Jacob's
ladder.
Quarrying and mineral
extraction are a general threat to the Peak District limestone
dales.
Peak District limestone is particularly
pure and has many uses, including building the roads we drive on and the
buildings we live & work in. Many of the quarries and mines were established
long before the Peak District became a National Park and have outstanding
claims for limestone and mineral extraction. In 1991, 8.2 million tonnes
of limestone were quarried from the the Peak District. For more information
try our mineral
extraction factsheet.
Climate change
will affect the sensitive plants of the limestone dale grasslands. For
more information on how climate affects dales-side plants click
here.
Climate change predictions indicate
that the Peak District is likely to have warmer and wetter winters and
hotter summers, with possible droughts. For those species of wildlife
particularly sensitive to climatic change it will be extremely difficult
to ensure their survival.
Plant species that may be affected
by climate change include:
- Limestone bedstraw, which globally is at its most northern location
in the Peak District. General warming would likely allow this plant
to spread further north
- Dwarf thistle, which globally is at its most southern location in
the Peak District. General warming would likely cause this place to
retreat further north and could become extremely rare or even extinct
in the limestone dales of the Peak District.
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Dwarf Thistle |
Air pollution is having a disastrous
effect on plant diversity. Plants absorb the chemicals in the air, which
to some will be toxic. Nitrous oxide, produced by power stations, road
transport and cement kilns, is of particular concern.
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