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Restoration of the Core Ravine Woodlands of England and Wales
The beautiful ashwoods of the White Peak in the Peak District National Park and the extensive woodlands of the Wye Valley on the border of South Wales and England are amongst the most important areas for woodland conservation in the UK. These native woodlands are our best surviving examples of ravine woodlands, a rare and threatened habitat.
Ravine woodlands are found on the nutrient-rich soils at the foot of steep-sided limestone valleys. Typically containing ash, wych elm and lime, the woods are a haven for rare plants, insects and animals. The Peak District ashwoods support white-letter hairstreak, white-spotted pinion, mountain currant, Jacob's ladder and alpine enchanter's nightshade, while the Wye Valley woodlands have nationally important populations of greater and lesser horseshoe bat, white admiral, dormouse and Tintern spurge.
The Ravine WoodLIFE Project ran until March 2007 and aimed to:
- ENSURE THE LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL VIABILITY OF THE RAVINE WOODLANDS IN THE PEAK DISTRICT AND WYE VALLEY
- ADDRESS THE ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC THREATS TO THESE WOODLANDS AND ASSOCIATED HABITATS
- RAISE AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE WOODLANDS WITHIN THE NATURA 2000 NETWORK
Ravine WoodLIFE was a LIFE-Nature partnership project receiving match funding from the European Community. A part of the Natura 2000 initiative to conserve the most important wildlife sites in Europe, the project is managed by WWF-UK, working in partnership with English Nature, Countryside Council for Wales, Forestry Commission, the National Trust, Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and Woodland Trust.
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