South Pennine Moors facts for kids

The South Pennine Moors are a large area of wild, open land in northern England. This special place is known for its beautiful moorland. It's so important that parts of it are protected by two different groups: a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a larger Special Area of Conservation (SAC). These areas help keep the unique plants and animals safe.

What is a SSSI?

A SSSI stands for a Site of Special Scientific Interest. This means it's a place that scientists think is very important for its plants, animals, or geology. The South Pennine Moors SSSI covers about 20,938 hectares (that's about 51,739 football fields!). It's the biggest area of open moorland in West Yorkshire.

Where is the SSSI?

The SSSI is split into three main parts:

• Ilkley Moor: This is between the towns of Ilkley and Keighley in West Yorkshire.
• North of the Calder Valley: This big area stretches across parts of West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, and Lancashire.
• South of the Calder Valley: This section is between Rochdale and Huddersfield, crossing the border of West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.

Plants and Habitats in the SSSI

The SSSI has many different types of natural homes, called habitats.

• Blanket Bogs: These are like giant, spongy carpets of plants. They are mostly covered in cotton-grass (which looks like fluffy white tufts) and heather (a purple-flowered plant). You might also see crowberry and bilberry growing here.
• Wet Heaths: These areas are a bit wetter and have plants like cross-leaved heath and cranberry.
• Acid Grasslands: Here, the soil is a bit sour, and you'll find grasses like mat-grass and wavy hair-grass. In very wet spots, purple moor grass and heath rush grow. Some rare plants for this region, like chickweed wintergreen and bog pondweed, can also be found.

Animals of the SSSI

The South Pennine Moors SSSI is a fantastic home for many birds. Some of the birds you might spot include:

• Red grouse
• Curlew (known for its long, curved beak)
• Skylark (sings beautifully high in the sky)
• Meadow pipit
• Dunlin
• Golden plover
• Merlin (a small, fast falcon)
• Twite
• Lapwing
• Snipe
• Redshank
• Northern wheatear
• Whinchat
• Ring ouzel
• Sometimes, stonechat
• Powerful birds of prey like peregrine falcons and buzzards.

What is a SAC?

A SAC stands for a Special Area of Conservation. This is an even bigger and more important protected area than an SSSI. It's chosen because it helps protect special habitats and species across Europe. The South Pennine Moors SAC is much larger, covering about 64,983 hectares (that's over 160,000 football fields!).

Where is the SAC?

The South Pennine Moors SAC spreads across many counties, including parts of Derbyshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and smaller areas of Cheshire, Staffordshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and North Yorkshire. About two-thirds of this SAC is actually inside the Peak District National Park, which is another very important protected area in England.