Natural England - Lake District ESA

Lake District ESA

The Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) scheme has now closed to new applicants and has been superseded by the Environmental Stewardship scheme. Some existing agreements will, however, continue until 2014.

The Lake District ESA extends over 245,390 ha and covers the central, western and southern parts of Cumbria. Most of the land lies within the Lake District National Park  and includes the Cumbrian mountains, sixteen major lakes and numerous tarns and smaller lakes. The Lake District is noted for the range and diversity of plant communities and species, resulting from a variation in altitude, complex geology, an oceanic climate and the latitude of the region.

Description

The spectacular scenery is created by the contrasts between the wild open fells and rugged mountain peaks, its remote valleys, lakes and rivers and rolling farmland and wooded, sheltered valleys. Man-made features, such as drystone walls, hedgerows and farm buildings, are particularly important elements of the landscape. The area is considered to be of national archaeological importance with a wealth of interesting features such as, cairns, hill forts, earthworks and ancient field systems. Agriculture is based on a long tradition of hill sheep farming with some suckler herds, store cattle and dairying on the lowland fringes. Most of the land has Less Favoured Area status and only a very few areas are used for arable cropping.

Significant habitats and species

The Lake District landscape is internationally renowned and its importance is indicated by its designation as a National Park  and its County Landscape Status (in areas outside of the National Park). The montane fells are extensive and contain a rich mosaic of heath, mire and grassland communities. They include the montane vegetation of the high-level heaths and screes which contain rare refuge plant species previously extensive only at the end of the last glaciation. Extensive woodlands, valley and basin mires and wetlands around lake margins are also notable features. Along with the fell pastures, they comprise a valuable assemblage of less-intensive, agriculturally managed habitats.

ESA management options

There were two main management options available within the Lake District ESA:

  • The extensive management of grassland, with restrictions on cultivation, stocking rates and fertiliser and pesticide applications. The management prescriptions also require the agreement holders to maintain ditches and other landscape features, such as wing gates. Wet grassland requires the maintenance of high water levels in ditches through winter and early spring.

  • Measures which aim to maintain and enhance the nature conservation interest of a range of valuable and characteristic habitats and species important for local biodiversity including the quality and extent of upland heather-based plant communities and the nature conservation and landscape interest of small-scale woodland.