9 - Eden Valley : Analysis: Ecosystem Services

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Fertile soils
• Water availability
• Sustainable farming practice
• Semi-natural pollinator habitat

State – 70 per cent land area is prime agricultural land (mostly Grade 3 with 3 per cent Grade 2).

A rich and productive agricultural area that is a major producer of lamb, beef, milk and pork. In 2007 there was a total breeding ewe flock of 120,000 and a dairy herd of 29,800 breeding females as well as 9,850 breeding beef females. Cereals and other crops are also produced in this area of productive mixed farming.

Main beneficiary – Regional

Analysis – The fertile soils support livestock production, including the overwintering of upland stock from adjoining NCAs, with cereals and other crops. Future ability to maintain or increase food production will be influenced by the soil quality, and water availability, which in turn will be influenced by their current management.

Poor soil and nutrient management can lead to deterioration and loss of a valuable resource to farming, and increased costs of inputs, in addition to diffuse pollution and sedimentation which impacts on water quality and the ecology of the Eden and its tributaries.

Sustainable, local food production can be at the heart of the local economy, reinforcing sense of place and benefiting the area’s tourist industry, for example the Eden Valley and Penrith food trails.

Opportunities – Continue working with the farming community to ensure good soil, nutrient and pesticides management, thereby securing the sustainable management of soil and water resources and services, essential to farming, and protecting and enhancing other services such as regulating water flow, and protecting the internationally important waters and wildlife of the River Eden.

Maintain mixed farming with sustainable grazing on grasslands, preventing soil compaction and aiding water infiltration and recharge of the sandstone aquifer.

Promote local produce to support local and sustainable farming practices, reinforcing sense of place and supporting the visitor economy.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Food provision
• Water availability
• Climate regulation
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating water flow
• Regulating soil quality
• Regulating soil erosion
• Recreation
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service  –

• Woodland cover
• Soils

State – Main sources of commercial timber are the larger coniferous blocks on the sandstone ridge and eastern foothills of the Pennine escarpment, some over 100 ha; conifer woodlands cover 4.8 per cent of the NCA.

Main beneficiary – Local

Analysis – There are opportunities in the Eden Valley to expand woodland cover, bring woodlands into sustainable management, introduce short rotation coppice.

Restoration of plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) offers opportunity to convert to hardwood species with additional benefits in carbon storage and biodiversity.

Restoring riparian and flood plain woodland would improve carbon storage, biodiversity and water flow regulation.

Opportunities – Expand woodland cover, in keeping with local landscape character, namely on vale slopes and tributary valleys, the sandstone ridge, and in riparian zone, focusing on locations where tree planting will reduce soil erosion and protect watercourses from sedimentation.

Seek opportunities to restore plantations on ancient woodland sites and where appropriate, reinstate traditional woodland management practices such as coppicing.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Timber provision
• Biomass energy
• Water availability
• Climate regulation
• Regulating soil erosion
• Regulating soil quality
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating water flow
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• River Eden and tributaries
• Groundwater
• Aquifer recharge rates

State – Waters drain into the River Eden from the Lake District fells to the west and Pennines to the east. The catchment is a major source of potable water. Outside the NCA there are major impoundments and abstractions on the west side of the Eden catchment as part of the water supply network. These include provision for compensation flows into the River Eden.

Water is also abstracted directly from the Eden near Wetheral and from a reservoir at Castle Carrock, near Brampton, for Carlisle and district water supply (both at the downstream end of the river within this NCA).

Main beneficiary – Regional

Analysis – The Permo-Triassic sandstones underlying the area are a significant store of groundwater although not considered a major aquifer for potable abstraction, and there are numerous boreholes in the catchment with the likelihood of future increase in numbers of these.

Abstractions can increase low flows affecting the river’s ability to support animals and plants.

Sustainable resource use, careful land management and water capture and recycling on farms and by other businesses, can optimise the amount of both potable and non potable water available for use within Eden Valley, while protecting the river ecology.

Opportunities – Seek opportunities to increase area of semi-natural habitat, and sustainable grazing of all grasslands, thus increasing ground permeability and infiltration of rainfall to recharge groundwater supplies and reduce surface flooding.

Work with the farming community and businesses to improve sustainable use of water and sympathetic land management practices, including crop selection and water harvesting, and that water conservation measures and sustainable drainage is designed in to new development.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Water availability
• Food provision
• Regulating soil erosion
• Regulating water flow
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Native black poplar

State – The Eden Valley contains stands of the rare black poplar, which hybridises with other tree species.

Main beneficiary – Regional

Analysis – Black poplar readily hybridises with other tree species and can be an important contributor to timber provision. The genetic resource in the Eden Valley is therefore potentially of importance if new hybrids are sought to help increase resilience to tree diseases.

Opportunities – Seek opportunities to expand and protect from hybridising, the remaining stands of the rare native black poplar; ensure that information on native black poplar is made available to the Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Genetic diversity
• Timber provision
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Woodland soils

State – The NCA generally has high potential yields for short rotation coppice and medium potential yields for miscanthus throughout the area.

There is also potential to bring under-managed woodlands into active management for wood fuel.

Main beneficiary – Local

Analysis – In terms of landscape character biomass planting (miscanthus and short rotation coppice) is best suited to valley floors where there is mixed or arable farming, and where there are existing woodlands and hedges. The North Pennines foothills, part of the North Pennines AONB, are higher, more open and more visible, and should be avoided, as should the slopes up to the Orton Fells, which share these characteristics (DEFRA, 2002).

There is potential in the Eden Valley to develop anaerobic digestion to create biogas from excess farm wastes/slurries, reducing potential sources of contaminated run-off, and to develop a wood fuel supply chain to create a market for coppice products from semi-natural woodlands – there may be local opportunities for increased production of firewood and wood chip from the largely unmanaged hanging oak and ash woods of the valley, and also small farm woodlands that collectively cover 4 per cent of the area.

Opportunities – Work with the farming community to identify suitable opportunities to increase area of miscanthus and short rotation coppice, where this may be accommodated within local landscape character and provide enhanced regulation of soil erosion, soil quality water flow, water supply and water quality.

Look for suitable opportunities to bring under-managed woodlands into management for wood fuel, where this also protects local landscape character and biodiversity.

Support development of local supply chain for wood fuel products.

Develop and use technologies such as anaerobic digestion for on-farm generation of biomass energy from farm waste.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Biomass energy
• Timber provision
• Climate regulation
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating water flow
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Small areas of soils containing high peat or organic content
• Semi-natural vegetation, particularly woodland, heath and wetland
• Permanent grassland

State – The soils of the NCA generally have a low carbon content, reflecting that 93 per cent of its area is covered by mineral soils.

Main beneficiary – Regional

Analysis – The intensively managed soils that characterise this area contain low levels of organic carbon, while releases of greenhouse gases nitrous oxide and methane are likely to be relatively high. It will be important to conserve the isolated carbon- rich soils with a high peat or organic content.

Land use practices should seek to enhance the carbon storage potential of soils and vegetation, through careful management of organic inputs to soils, reducing the frequency of cultivation, and expanding areas of permanent vegetation, particularly woodlands, heath and wetlands, and reverting some cultivated areas to permanent grassland.

Opportunities – Expand native woodland into appropriate locations, such as valley sides, tributary valleys, and in mosaic with heath on the sandstone ridge.

Restore and create wetland habitats, particularly those associated with the kettle hole mires network, and elsewhere in the flood plain, to increase take- up and storage of carbon while achieving a diverse and coherent wetland network which can help regulate peak water flows.

Seek opportunities to revert areas to permanent grassland, adopt minimum tillage, increase use of green manure crops within rotations, and create uncultivated margins to arable fields and along watercourses.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Climate regulation
• Water availability
• Regulating soil erosion
• Regulating soil quality
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating water flow
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Biodiversity

No information available.

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• River Eden and tributaries
• Semi-natural vegetation cover
• Buffer strips
• Land management

State – For information regarding the current state of water quality within this NCA, refer to the Environment Agency (Draft river basin management plan maps).

Main beneficiary – Regional

Analysis – There are a number of principal pathways for the valuable inputs and resources of land management to end up in watercourses, incurring costs to land managers and reducing the environment’s capacity to continue providing and regulating these resources. Where slurry storage is inadequate, field applications may exceed the land’s nutrient requirements, or be applied at inappropriate times, creating conditions for nutrient run-off and enrichment of waters.

Phosphate from fertilisers enters watercourses and wetlands both through leaching into under-drainage and when bound to sediment particles, through soil erosion (Defra Catchment Sensitive Farming Initiative). Coarse sediment delivered from landslips in poorly vegetated uplands and finer sediment from exposed or eroded soils, and from livestock accessing riverbanks, is readily washed into watercourses, creating problems in water quality but also, with the coarser sediment, in the capacity of rivers to accommodate peak flows.

Nutrient and sediments drain into the basin and valley mires which act as nutrient sinks, threatening their biological interest. This is exacerbated where farm and other drains are directed into the mires.

Hamlets and villages which are not connected to the mains sewer system can be a source of effluent watercourses.

Defra’s Catchment Sensitive Farming Initiative and similar initiatives provided by Eden Rivers Trust, offer advice and grants in the Eden Valley and to support land management practice which protects its valuable resources thereby reducing nutrient and sediment load to watercourses, protecting water and soils.

Opportunities – Work with farmers to adopt techniques for informed infield nutrient applications that more precisely meet nutrient requirements, and manage riparian grazing to prevent livestock accessing banksides or by protecting under permanent grassland strips.

Over the sandstone significantly increase areas of extensively grazed permanent semi-natural grasslands and heathlands to reduce compaction and increase water infiltration and groundwater recharge.

Ensure that excess slurry is diverted to anaerobic digestion to reduce nutrient run-off and that reedbeds/wetlands are created where surface water enters the main watercourses.

Continue to promote improvements in farm infrastructure and waste management and improvements to waste water storm overflows; work with farming community to protect important mires from farming and other effluent.

In new developments, promote sustainable drainage systems which will improve water infiltration and protect the underlying aquifer. Promote best practice measures to quality prevent effluent leakage from septic tanks.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Regulating water quality
• Food provision
• Climate regulation
• Water availability
• Regulating soil erosion
• Regulating soil quality
• Biodiversity
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating water flow

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• River Eden and tributaries
• Semi-natural vegetation cover, particularly woodland and wetlands
• Land use and farming practice

State – The flood plain of the River Eden floods regularly and extensively, and localised flash flooding is frequent in settlements along the river such as Appleby-in-Westmorland. The river is a main source of the floodwaters that converge on Carlisle to the north (immediately outside the NCA), which is at risk from major flood events.

Main beneficiary – Regional

Analysis – Land management practices and vegetation cover within the Eden Valley and upstream in neighbouring NCAs will influence the extent to which heavy rainfall is intercepted and the rate at which this is stored and released. Protecting soils under permanent vegetation cover, improving infiltration by expanding woodland cover, restoring flood plain wetland habitats and buffering watercourses with grassland strips, and managing grazing densities and machinery movements to minimise soil compaction, will all help to increase absorption, and regulate release, thus regulating peak water flows.

Opportunities – Work with land managers and authorities in neighbouring NCAs to address water flow issues at whole catchment scale.

Increase the permeability of soils within the wider catchment, and hence rainfall interception rates, through extensive grazing regimes to reduce soil compaction and extend and create woodlands in the catchment of the tributaries where this will aid water infiltration and reduce cross-land flows.

Significantly increase the area of wetland habitats, including wet woodland, in the valley of tributary streams and within the flood plain of the Eden and Petteril to store floodwaters.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Regulating water flow
• Timber provision
• Water availability
• Climate regulation
• Regulating soil erosion
• Regulating water quality
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Geology
• Soil types
• Semi-natural vegetation cover
• Farming practice

State – This NCA has nine main soilscape types:

• Slowly permeable seasonally wet slightly acid but base-rich loamy and clayey soils, covering 39 per cent of the NCA;
• Freely draining slightly acid loamy soils (24 per cent);
• Freely draining slightly acid sandy soils (20 per cent); slightly acid loamy and clayey soils with impeded drainage (5 per cent);
• Freely draining very acid sandy and loamy soils (4 per cent);
• Slowly permeable seasonally wet acid loamy and clayey soils (3 per cent);
• Loamy and clayey flood plain soils with naturally high groundwater (2 per cent);
• Freely draining flood plain soils (2 per cent); and
• Naturally wet very acid sandy and loamy soils (1 per cent).

Main beneficiary – Regional

Analysis – The slowly permeable seasonally wet slightly acid but base-rich loamy and clayey soils (39 per cent) may suffer compaction and/ or capping as they are easily damaged when wet. In turn this may lead to increasingly poor water infiltration and diffuse pollution as a result of surface water run- off. Management measures that increase organic matter levels can help reduce these problems.

The freely draining slightly acid loamy soils (24 per cent) and the freely draining slightly acid sandy soils (20 per cent) have potential for increased organic matter levels through management interventions. They may be valuable for aquifer recharge requiring the maintenance of good soil structure to aid water infiltration and the matching of nutrients to needs to prevent pollution of the underlying aquifer.

Opportunities – Continue working with the farming community to encourage best practice in soil management to improve structure and quality of soils, particularly where this can assist aquifer recharge.

This may be achieved using low pressure machinery and managing stock and vehicle movements, particularly in wet conditions, to avoid poaching and compaction.

Increase areas of woodland, employ minimal tillage and incorporate organic matter and ‘green manure’ legume crops to increase soil organic matter and also relieve soil compaction.

Sustainable grazing levels and minimise machinery movements in wet conditions.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Regulating soil quality
• Food provision
• Water availability
• Climate regulation
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating water flow

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Soil types
• Vegetation cover, particularly semi-natural habitat
• Land use and farming practice

State – The River Eden and its tributaries is a priority catchment under the England Catchment Sensitive Farming Initiative. All of the Eden catchment is at high risk of soil loss. Arable areas, especially on slopes or areas susceptible to flooding present a high risk of soil erosion. Stock access to river banks exacerbates soil erosion (Defra – England Catchment Sensitive Farming Initiative).

Main beneficiary – Regional

Analysis – The soils that cover just over half (54 per cent) of this NCA are susceptible to erosion.

The freely draining slightly acid loamy soils (24 per cent), the freely draining slightly acid sandy soils (20 per cent), and the freely draining very acid sandy and loamy soils (4 per cent) can erode easily, especially on steep slopes, where vegetation is removed or where organic matter levels are low after continuous cultivation.

The first two of these soil types are light and at risk of wind erosion, especially where coarse textured variants (freely draining slightly acid loamy soils), are cultivated or left bare. The naturally wet very acid sandy and loamy soils (1 per cent) are also light and susceptible to wind erosion and some are also easily eroded by water if heavily trafficked or after heavy rain.

The slightly acid loamy and clayey soils with impeded drainage (5 per cent) are easily compacted by machinery or livestock if accessed when wet and are prone to capping or slaking, increasing the risks of soil erosion by surface water run-off, especially on steeper slopes.

Opportunities – Continue working with the farming community through Catchment Sensitive Farming and other initiatives to promote good soils management including use of green manure crops within arable systems and minimising vehicle and stock movements in wet conditions.

Strengthen hedgerows, plant shelterbelts and create grass buffer strips running at right angles to the slope across steeper slopes under arable cultivation to prevent soil erosion from wind and water; create buffer strips across the flood plains of the Eden and Petteril to filter out soils in suspension in times of flood.

Provide wide grass buffer strips and reedbeds adjacent to river banks, preventing livestock access to the water’s edge.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Regulating soil erosion
• Food provision
• Climate regulation
• Regulating soil quality
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating water flow

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Semi-natural habitat, particularly species-rich grasslands and verges, and heath

State – Areas of upland and lowland heath are important nectar sources for pollinating insects, as are the remnants of species-rich grassland.

Hedgerows will provide some nectar sources for pollinators within the farmed landscape.

Main beneficiary – Local

Analysis – There is an opportunity to increase food security by increasing the areas and connectivity of suitable habitat for pollinators. Road verges, hedgerows and linear transport corridors provide obvious opportunities for this. This also contributes to climate adaptation in both food production and biodiversity.

Crops such as oilseed rape and field beans and orchard fruits are the main agricultural beneficiaries of pollination.

Opportunities – Seek opportunities within the agricultural landscape to increase the area of semi-natural habitats, especially lowland heathland, hay meadows, wet meadows and woodland with a good ground flora. Also dense flowering hedgerows and species-rich verges to increase the diversity of flowering plants and increase the area and range of habitat mosaics in close proximity to crops that benefit from pollination, for example in farm orchards.

Promote the inclusion of nectar- rich margins to arable fields.

Seek opportunities to create linear areas of habitat for birds and invertebrates, in particular using linear transport corridors.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Pollination
• Food provision
• Regulating soil erosion
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Structurally diverse semi-natural vegetation, such as heath, wetland, grassland and hedgerows

State – Structurally diverse, semi-natural habitat interspersed within productive agricultural areas may provide habitat for beneficial species.

Main beneficiary – Local

Analysis – Semi-natural habitat within productive agricultural landscapes may support species which prey on pest species, thereby regulating the potential damage of these to food production.

Hedgerows are the most common field boundary, providing some habitat for beneficial predators. Structurally diverse vegetation including heath, grasslands and scrub/woodland, in proximity to arable crops, can provide habitat for beneficial predators.

Opportunities – Increase the area of land under semi-natural habitats in proximity to arable crops, and improve the structural diversity of these habitats.

Manage and restore the network of hedgerows.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Pest regulation
• Food provision
• Pollination
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Landform (including the sandstone ridges and neighbouring upland areas)
• River Eden and tributaries
• Landcover, particularly woodland and heath
• Sandstone building stone

State – Sense of place largely defined by the distinct valley landform and framing views of the ‘fells’ beyond.

Valued features of this landscape are the juxtaposition of the fertile settled valley against the imposing fells which surround it, the River Eden, the Eden Sandstone Gorge at Lazonby, the fertility of the land, the stone wall field boundaries, the towns and villages of the valley, and its rich history and heritage (Capturing the cultural services and experiential qualities of landscape, Research Box and LUC, 2009).

Main beneficiary – Regional

Analysis – A strongly inspirational landscape responding to ‘borrowed’ views to the surrounding higher ground, changes in colour through the seasons and a constant change in the views in response to the weather.

The Eden Gorge provides drama in contrast to the perceived gentle character of the valley.

Opportunities – Maintain the contrast between the rugged fells to east and west and the managed farmed landscape of the Eden Valley with its well-wooded character, hedgerows, estate shelterbelts and riparian woodland, and red sandstone walls over the sandstone ridge.

Maintain long views to the fells from the main settlements and main vantage points within the Eden Valley.

Protect and where possible enhance natural features and processes, particularly those associated with the rivers and flood plain.

Ensure that new developments and changes in land use are successfully integrated into the landscape, that they respect historic settlement and field patterns and vernacular features, make a positive contribution to ecological networks, and do not compromise the rural character of this landscape.

Opportunities exist to promote the calming and restorative effect that contact with tranquil and sensory environments have on health and wellbeing.

Protect areas classified on Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) maps as ‘undisturbed’ from further intrusion.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Sense of place/inspiration
• Sense of history
• Tranquillity
• Biodiversity
• Geodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Prehistoric artefacts and sites
• Fortified castles of border lands
• Settlement and field patterns
• Strong farming history with adjoining uplands
• Estates with designed parklands
• Industrial heritage of the railways

State – A landscape with a very strong sense of history, dating from prehistoric stone circles, such as Long Meg and Her Daughters, near Little Salkeld and later associated with its defensive border location with Roman forts, fortified castles, many of these now ruined but remain conspicuous features of the landscape at Appleby-in-Westmorland, Brough and Brougham.

The earthwork remains of early settlements and the strong links with upland farming are important local historical connections; the architectural heritage of the rural settlements and an impressive railway heritage of bridges and viaducts give a strong sense of history in the landscape – the Settle to Carlisle Railway runs through the Valley providing a living history of the industrial heritage of the railway that visitors can experience.

Main beneficiary – Regional

Analysis – Aspects of history likely to be particularly evident to the general public are the area’s ruined fortified castles which hint at the turbulent borderlands history of the Eden Valley. Traditional buildings and settlement patterns, designed parklands, established field patterns, and the railway bridges and viaducts, are also notable features.

Prehistoric henges are an important legacy of early occupation of the Eden Valley.

Opportunities – Reduce the number of ‘at risk’ heritage sites and positively manage for important historic structures such as henges, fortified castles and railway structure, through targeted management and advice.

Seek opportunities where appropriate to interpret features to increase public engagement, enjoyment and understanding.

Strengthen the pattern of historic field systems in the landscape and earthwork evidence of early settlement, protecting under appropriate management above ground and sub-surface remains, and restoring hedgerows where they have been lost, for example on the valley edges.

Manage and restore designed parkland and important trees in the landscape.

Maintain and promote the established vernacular of the settlements and buildings of the NCA with the use of red stone (or limestone where relevant) in restoration and new building, together with Westmorland slate for roofing.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Sense of history
• Regulating soil erosion
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Recreation

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Landform, including surrounding fells
• River Eden and tributaries
• Woodland

State – According to the CPRE Intrusion Map (2007) 71 per cent of the area is classed as ‘undisturbed’. Notably, there has been a 23 per cent decline in the undisturbed area between the 1960s and 2007.

Main beneficiary – Regional

Analysis – A landscape with a strong sense of tranquillity and calm, heightened by the river and surrounding fells. The area of disturbance on the CPRE maps are associated with the urban areas of Penrith and Appleby-in-Westmorland, and the major road corridors of the M6, A6 and A66 which follow the line of the valley.

Opportunities – Seek to contain further disturbance associated with the main transport corridors and settlements through enhanced screening by semi-natural vegetation, particularly where the main roads cross the valley, enhancing habitat networks and strengthening landscape structure and character.

Minimise light spill through careful lighting design, particularly in areas classed as ‘undisturbed’ on the CPRE intrusion maps.

Manage woodlands and parklands, extending and linking these to enhance local sense of enclosure and tranquillity within the valley.

Make suitable provision for visitors to access a landscape where they can be inspired and experience the feeling of escapism.

Work with land managers to improve the quality of the River Eden and restore semi-natural riparian habitat.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Tranquillity
• Regulating water quality
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Rights of way network including the Pennine Way National Trail and Lady Ann’s Way long distance route
• Open access land

State – Just under 2 per cent of the NCA (1,446 ha) is open access/registered common land. There are just less than 777 km of public rights of way, at a density of 0.96 km per km2. 4.5 km of the Pennine Way fall within the NCA.

Main beneficiary – Regional

Analysis – Eden Valley is a landscape whose association with leisure and recreation tends to be eclipsed by that of its neighbours in the Lakes and the Pennines.

However, it is much used for recreation by local people, particularly the elderly and less mobile, and dog walkers avoiding the loose sheep of the open fell. Woods and streams such as at Kings Meaburn and Little Salkeld are popular local destinations.

The area generally is a popular destination for walking, horse riding, cycling, mountain biking and water-based activities such as angling, kayaking and canoeing, together with other activities including bird/wildlife watching.

Opportunities – Maintain current opportunities for access and enjoyment of the countryside, and identify opportunities to create new circular routes or links to existing rights of way, particularly to the Pennine Way, and between Eden Valley and its surrounding fells and provide suitable opportunities for different user groups and abilities to access and enjoy their local area.

Work with business to support initiatives promoting sustainable tourism that help grow a local green economy, recognising the economic value of recreational visitors to the NCA.

Seek opportunities for educational access to historic farm buildings and opportunities to interpret and enjoy the farmed and historic environment.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Recreation
• Sense of history

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Sites designated/protected for their nature conservation interest, including European Sites, SSSI and County Wildlife Sites
• Priority habitats and species

State – Six internationally important wildlife sites lie partly or wholly within the Eden Valley, including the River Eden SAC and the Cumbrian Marsh Fritillary SAC. 31 SSSI lie wholly or partly within the NCA, 78 per cent of these are assessed (2011) as in favourable or recovering condition, the remaining area is in unfavourable or declining condition. There are 89 locally designated (County) sites within the NCA.

The NCA contains important populations of marsh fritillary butterfly, and remnant stands of the native black poplar. It supports otter, water vole and is a managed stronghold for red squirrel in and around the Whinfell reserve.

The valley is used by wintering wading birds, and whooper swans, bird populations here being influenced by the nearby presence of the Solway Firth.

Main beneficiary – National

Analysis – The River Eden is one of England’s finest large river systems on limestone and sandstone. This fast-flowing river is of European importance for its habitats and wildlife, including a diverse aquatic flora, Atlantic salmon, bullhead, lampreys and white-clawed crayfish. It and flows northwards through the NCA, forming an important aquatic habitat corridor connecting to the Solway Firth.

Semi-natural woodlands are an important element of the Eden Valley’s biodiversity and landscape character, particularly those associated with the Eden and its tributary valleys.

Other semi-natural habitats tend to be small and fragmented, offering opportunities for restoration across the landscape of resilient habitat networks. The basin mires formed in glacial kettle holes are of high ecological importance.

Small but important areas of lowland calcareous grassland, upland hay meadow and lowland meadow are found on the lower slopes of the Pennines to the south and east and the Orton Fells to the west, and in the species-rich roadside verges on the Orton fringes, designated as wildlife sites by Cumbria County Council. The sandstone outcrops support remnant heath. North of Penrith a series of Purple moor-grass pastures, support marsh fritillary butterfly.

Opportunities – Work with land managers in the catchment to improve the water quality of the Eden, and seek opportunities to restore a more natural river morphology and restore or create flood plain habitats strengthening the wetland habitat network around ecologically important basin mires.

Utilise educational opportunities to study river ecosystems and processes in the Eden.

Improve the long term condition of designated wildlife sites, including SSSI/SAC and County Wildlife Sites and core areas of priority habitat by ensuring that underlying contributors to site condition are understood and managed appropriately, and that these are also considered in light of anticipated environmental change – seek opportunities to expand and buffer these sites, building more robust ecological networks, particularly for woodland, wetlands, heath and species-rich grasslands.

Seek opportunities to utilise linear transport corridors to create semi- natural habitat and strengthen the habitat networks in the Eden Valley.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Biodiversity
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating water flow
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Tranquillity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Sites designated or identified for their geological

State – There are 11 SSSI within Eden Valley NCA which are notified at least in part for their geological interest. There are 25 locally designated geological sites in the area.

Main beneficiary – National

Analysis – The geological SSSI of the Eden Valley tend to be stream sections, cuttings or quarry exposures of Permo-Triassic and Ordovician geology and significant fossil exposures, including at Melmerby Road Section SSSI the only occurrence of the strata known as the melmerby beds, and at George Gill clasts of Whin Sill dolerite making this site of national importance for interpreting Permian palaeo-geography and palaeo-environments. Moorhouse and Cross Fell SSSI contain periglacial features and active fluvial processes.

Many of these sites are currently (2011) in favourable condition, and where there are threats to sites this tends to be from vegetation obscuring exposures, and potentially from recreational activity such as climbing and caving. The SSSI and local sites networks provide an important educational and research resource that helps us better understand the geological history of the NCA and development of the landscape.

Opportunities – Working with land managers and user groups, maintain the long-term condition of geological and geomorphological sites and features through their appropriate management and the natural functioning of geomorphological processes.

Protect and manage the important river sections, natural outcrops and quarry exposures.

Identify and promote the importance of such features through local partnerships with geologists, schools, colleges and other interested parties, increasing their educational use and providing suitable opportunities for visitors to access, interpret and enjoy them.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Geodiversity
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Recreation
• Biodiversity