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LAND USE CONFLICTS
The main purposes of National Parks are:
To conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Park.
To promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of its special qualities.
CONFLICTS
Conflicts about the use of land will obviously arise. This Fact Zone gives you some examples of such conflicts and of how the National Park Authority attempts to resolve them.
CONFLICT - CONSERVATION AND FARMING
Intensive farming reduces the diversity of grassland wildlife (through fertilising, ploughing and reseeding) and can pollute the water supply (through the use of chemicals and farmyard slurry). Extensive farming reduces the need for walls of landscape and historic interest, which may then be neglected or removed.
The Way Forward .....
The Farm Conservation Scheme encourages farmers to manage land in traditional ways, which agree with National Park’s conservation aims. It also co-ordinates schemes to provide grants for conservation work.
CONFLICT - WATER SUPPLY, RECREATION AND CONSERVATION
There is a great demand for water sports facilities on the many reservoirs in the park. However, recreational use may pose a threat to the purity of the water supply as well as to the conservation of wildlife and landscape. Farming around reservoirs may also cause pollution through the use of chemicals and through farmyard slurry and silage making.
The Way Forward .....
Recreation is limited to fishing on 12 reservoirs, sailing on 5 reservoirs and occasional water ski-ing on Bottoms Reservoir. An application for a further sailing club on Ladybower reservoir was turned down. The use of power boats is generally restricted to rescue vessels.
CONFLICT - TOURISM AND CONSERVATION
Large numbers of walkers using the footpaths in popular areas such as the Pennine Way or Dovedale, cause erosion of the vegetation and soil. Climbers on the gritstone edges or large parties of walkers on the moorland may disturb wild birds.
The Way Forward .....
More robust paths may be constructed using stone or even artificial materials. Hard surfaced tracks along redundant railway lines provide alternative walking routes as well as routes for cyclists and horse riders.
The siting of car parks and visitor facilities can help to spread the concentration of tourists over a wider area.
Rangers give help and information to visitors.
Moorland - Many protected species. Vegetation easily eroded.
Limestone Dales - Wide varieties of plant species, insects, butterflies.
Old buildings - close to narrow streets. Archaeological sites. Picturesque fragile landscape.
COMMUNITY NEEDS
Villagers - need shops, services, schools, transport, jobs.
Farmers - need to protect stock, improve grassland, increase herds.
Quarries - need to acquire more land, transport products.
RECREATION NEEDS
Walking - footpaths, open moorland.
Climbing - access to gritstone edges.
Facilities for visitors - in beauty spots and villages e.g. car parks, toilets. Information.
Extraction of limestone leaves large unsightly quarries. There is much pollution of the air from dust and traffic. Quarry traffic causes congestion in villages and also damages the roads and the foundations of village buildings. The processing of fluorspar needs fine grinding to separate out impurities and involves the dumping of large amounts of waste in artificial lagoons.
The Way Forward .....
The Park Authority insist that landscape schemes for screening and restoration are undertaken as part of the process of mineral extraction. New proposals are judged against these criteria:
- The national and local need for the mineral.
- The lack of practicable alternative available sources.
- The extent to which the proposal would affect the landscape and environment of the Peak Park.
A new technique enables waste tailings to be used a cemented backfill in the mines.
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