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21
Sept 2020
Rare species found in Nidderdale AONB
A major investigation in Nidderdale's Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has found rare species including the Pyropterus nigroruber, a net winged beetle, and moths including Bilberry pug, Devon carpet and V-moth.
Volunteers gave more than 4,500 hours of their time over three years tracking animals across the AONB and reported other species such as the otter are increasing in number in the area.
They also found that the curlew population is stable, bucking a national decline.
However, the findings reported a large decline in water voles in the AONB, which are thought to one of the fastest declining mammals in the UK. In response, the AONB team has released 100 water voles in the Washburn Valley to try and revive the threatened species.
Bird species already thought to be lost from the AONB include the lesser-spotted woodpecker, yellow wagtail, wood warbler and hawfinch.
Iain Mann, AONB area manager, said:
Read more:
Grouse shooting in Nidderdale: barbaric or necessary?
River Nidd fails water pollution tests due to raw sewage
The report also highlights projects such as the Yorkshire Peat Partnership, which works with moorland land managers to promote best practice to safeguard these nationally significant habitats.
Read the State of Nature report here.
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