Land Management Plan
The Land Management Plan sets out a long term, landscape scale programme to restore, enhance and connect the diverse habitats of the Linking Levisham scheme area. It establishes a shared ecological vision, defines expected outcomes, summarises baseline evidence and describes the practical actions that will guide implementation over the coming decades.
Key objectives include:
- Restoring ecosystem function across the whole landscape.
- Enhancing biodiversity at scale and improving habitat connectivity.
- Supporting mixed species grazing.
- Transitioning from commercial forestry to mixed-broadleaf woodlands.
- Rewetting peatlands, restoring hydrology and reducing wildfire risk.
- Ensuring long term resilience for species, communities and land managers.
Extensive baseline surveys highlight varied conditions across the scheme area: heathland largely in Unfavourable Recovering condition; fragmented wetland and peat habitats; declining water vole populations; pockets of species rich grassland; woodlands dominated in places by conifer or invasive species. Soil, peat, hydrological, botanical and fauna surveys provide a detailed evidence base to target interventions and monitor change.
Planned activities include:
- Grazing transition: introducing cattle, ponies, goats and reducing sheep grazing to create structurally diverse vegetation.
- Peatland and hydrological restoration.
- Woodland enhancement: transitioning conifer stands toward Low Impact Silvicultural Systems, deadwood creation, and tree veteranisation.
- Bracken and scrub control: using mechanical, manual and innovative methods to protect grassland and heath, and reduce fire risk.
- Habitat creation: expanding species rich grassland, restoring degraded bog, enhancing gill woodland, and developing wood pasture mosaics.
- Protection of heritage and designated sites.
Climate change resilience is built into all actions and supported by a Wildfire Management Plan, with a focus on:
- Creating a mosaic that includes wet habitats to mitigate wildfire risk.
- Access for emergency response and a communications plan.
- Monitoring invasive species and prioritising removal.