SECTION 3.0 - Durham County Council

comprising non-statutory sites of county importance (Local Wildlife Sites). There
are also a number of designated SPA’s (Special Protection Areas) and SAC’s
(Special
Areas of Conservation) together with 3 National Nature Reserves
(NNR’s).
Dales Fringe
The river Tees forms the most important natural feature in this character area,
and
is also the most important contribution to biodiversity. Ancient and semi-natural
woodlands of ash and oak are found along the steep valley sides, with scattered
conifer plantations in the upland fringes. The majority of the area is enclosed with
only small areas of open moorland, which are important agriculturally unimproved
refuges especially for moorland birds. Farming and forestry are the
main land use
types
in this area, and there is significant scope for large-scale habitat
improvements.
There is one designated SSSI, and a number of Local Wildlife
Sites.
East Durham Limestone Plateau
The Durham Magnesian Limestone Natural Area (DMLNA) covers just over 44
000ha of southeast Tyne and Wear, and east Durham. It is dominated by
underlying Permian Magnesian Limestone, which exerts a strong influence on soil
types and vegetation communities. The area is dominated by arable farmland and
pasture, but a number of semi-natural wildlife habitats do remain. The key habitat
feature is the unimproved magnesian limestone grassland, a nationally rare habitat
type. Almost two thirds of all magnesian limestone grassland in Britain is found in
the DMLNA. Calcareous grassland and basic mires occur along the Durham coast
and abandoned limestone quarries are colonised by typical limestone flora. Small
areas of unimproved neutral grassland also occur within this area with scattered
ancient semi-natural woodlands, which are centred in the denes of the coastal
plateau and on steeper slopes of the escarpment. Due to the remarkable ecology
and geological interest of the DMLNA there are a number of designated sites,
including 4 NNR’s, around 48 SSSI’s and a number of Local Wildlife Sites. The
area also contains a number of Geological/Geomorphological SSSI’s as well as
county Geological/Geomorphological Sites.
T ees Lowlands
This character area comprises the River Tees estuary, and its associated low-lying
land. The area is framed by the Cleveland Hills and the North York Moors to the
South, the east Durham plateau to the north, and the foothills of the Pennines to
the west. The North Sea, Tees Bay and the river estuary make up its eastern
boundary. There has been considerable reclamation of the Tees estuarine habitats
but
remnants exist an constitute the Teesmouth flats and marshes NCR sites,
characterised by mud flats, salt marsh, grazing marsh, sand dunes, open water
and wetlands. There are two designated SSSI’s, both wetlands, and a small
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