Alkaline fen & transition mire survey of the North York Moors National Park & Bishop Monkton Ings.
Abstract
This paper presents a survey of sites thought to support the EC Habitats Directive Annex 1 habitats 'Alkaline Fen' and to a lesser extent 'Transition Mire / Quaking Bog', predominantly in the North York Moors National Park area (but including one outlying site, Bishop Monkton Ings, in the Vale of York near Boroughbridge), where current site information was lacking, where existing survey data were over 20 years old, or where significant change is thought have occurred. A brief description of each mire site was surveyed, the target NVC plant communities found there, other fen communities, possible water supply characteristics and notes about site management. Of the 37 sites visited during the survey, 29 sites supported examples of Alkaline Fen and Transition Mire / Quaking Bog communities. Of the 139 fen samples recorded, a total of 80 samples were taken from Alkaline Fen communities, 29 samples were taken in Transition Mire / Quaking Bog communities, and 30 samples were taken in vegetation stands that, through analysis and internal discussions, were determined not to be either of these target fen types.