Biodiversity in action in the Peak District
Success stories: Peregrines, lapwings and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)
A new peregrine record
In 2010 three peregrine chicks were fledged successfully in the Peak District National Park, on the Roaches Estate in Staffordshire.
This marks the third successful year for peregrines on the estate, owned by the Peak District National Park.
The first successful nest for 100 years was in 2008 - following failed nesting attempts in the previous two years.
In 2008 the peregrines chose to nest on a high ledge on the main Roaches crag on one of the most popular climbing routes.
To give the birds the maximum chance of success, the Park Authority, Natural England and the RSPB negotiated voluntary access restrictions with the British Mountaineering Council. Extra shifts by rangers, estate staff and volunteers also helped to ensure a safe nesting period for the birds.
In 2009 and 2010, the peregrines returned and chose to nest on a less busy climbing route. A single chick was fledged in 2009 followed by a record-breaking three chicks in 2010.
www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/peregrine_watch
Peak birds project
Aim: Protect lapwing, curlew and twite and reverse the downward trend in their numbers by giving advice to land managers - encouraging them to create and maintain bird-friendly habitats
When: 2001 to date
Results: More than 600 hectares of land has been put forward into 'agri-environment scheme' applications and:
- advice has been given on land supporting two-thirds of the Peak District’s Lapwing population.
- more than 350 farmers and landowners have been contacted about management of their land for birds
- around 150 farmers have made at least small changes to help birds, and many are actively engaged in managing or restoring bird habitats
- 80 scrapes (dips or impressions made in the ground for ground-nesting birds) have been created on farmland to benefit breeding birds
www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/index/peak_birds
Peak District lapwing monitoring project
Aim: To monitor 29 lapwing breeding sites to measure lapwing 'productivity' - to find out how many hatched chicks became fully-fledged adult birds.
How they did it: They monitored 29 lapwing breeding sites every three weeks over three breeding seasons, from 2006 to 2008.
Results: By comparing the number of fledged chicks with the number of breeding pairs on the site at the beginning of the season, it was found that:
- lapwing pairs increased by 23% over the three years, from 269 pairs in 2006 to 331 pairs in 2008
- productivity averaged six chicks fledged per 10 pairs of lapwings, a level sufficient to maintain the population
- productivity in 2007 was very high, with 19 chicks fledged per 10 pairs of lapwings, a level which should promote population growth
www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/looking-after-lapwing
Success: Improving Sites of Special Scientific Interest
Previously: Moorland fires, heavy grazing, high air pollution levels and drainage have all had an adverse affect on the Peak District moorlands in the past.
In 2003 just 28% of SSSI land in the National Park was assessed as being in a favourable/recovering condition - the Government's target for 2010 was that 95% of nationally important wildlife sites should meet these criteria.
Now: Nearly 97% of SSSI land in the Peak District is deemed to be in a favourable or recovering condition.
How did they do it?
The National Park Authority worked with Natural England to agree moorland burning and grazing regimes and produce moorland management plans, and to secure conservation agreements on farms which include SSSI land.
