The project covered two areas: the Ingleborough Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and the Craven SAC. The maps below show these areas and there are descriptions of each area.
Ingleborough SAC
Whernside
Whernside represents one of the most important limestone areas in the Yorkshire Dales. The extensive limestone pavements on Scales Moor support within their grikes (fissures) notable species such as baneberry, lesser meadow-rue and rigid buckler fern.
Oxenber and Wharfe Woods
Oxenber and Wharfe Woods sit on a limestone knoll to the south east of Ingleborough. The site is predominantly grazed wood pasture with a notable population of spurge laurel. Limestone pavements on the plateau contain northern bedstraw and mountain melick.
Ingleborough
Ingleborough is notable for extensive limestone pavements, dry valleys, sinkholes and caves. The range of rocks along with the peat and glacial drift covering the site result in a diversity of vegetation types. The limestone pavements of Colt Park and Scar Close support limestone polypody and globeflower, while the higher crags are populated by arctic-alpines.
Craven SAC
Cool Pasture
Cool Pasture is a small limestone pasture, which adjoins the larger Malham-Arncliffe site. The grasslands are largely unimproved and support a diverse range of plant species including moonwort, autumn gentian and limestone bedstraw.
Malham-Arncliffe
Malham-Arncliffe is an outstanding site of nationally important limestone features and cave systems. Species-rich limestone pasture is interspersed with extensive areas of limestone pavements, supporting plants usually confined to woodlands, such as baneberry and angular Solomon’s-seal. The grasslands are dominated by blue moor-grass and areas flushed with lime-rich water have the local speciality, bird’s-eye primrose. The site includes one of the most outstanding wetland complexes in the UK, centred on Malham Tarn.
Kilnsey Flush
Kilnsey Flush is a small area of fen, which is flushed with lime-rich water. It is one of the richest fen sites in the Yorkshire Dales and supports a large population of bird’s-eye primrose and marsh helleborine.
Bastow Wood
Bastow Wood comprises an area of ash-hazel wood pasture, a rare habitat in the Yorkshire Dales. Under the scattered tree cover are species-rich limestone grasslands with abundant bloody crane’s-bill and rock rose.
Conistone Old Pasture
Conistone Old Pasture consists of expanses of species-rich limestone pasture interspersed with extensive limestone pavements. Alpine cinquefoil and dropwort are found, as well as a large population of the northern brown Argus butterfly. The pavements, scars and dry meltwater channel (Conistone Dibb) to the north are of national geological importance.
