An updated version of this profile is online at nationalcharacterareas.co.uk. This pdf is retained for historical and completeness purposes.
The Bowland Fells form a distinctive upland block on the boundary between north Lancashire and the Yorkshire Dales. The landscape is wild and windswept, with steep escarpments, upland pasture and expansive open moorland. The National Character Area is within the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and also contains areas of moorland, designated as a Special Protection Area due to its international importance for breeding hen harrier, merlin and lesser black-backed gull. It also provides for other important species such as peregrine, ring ouzel and breeding waders. The peat soils of the fells, including the deep columns of peat associated with blanket bog, store significant volumes of carbon. Blanket bog habitat is also important for water storage. High-quality species-rich meadows can be found in the limestone areas to the east. There are also a large number of important waterbodies throughout the area. Extensive conifer plantations occur to the south-east and east of the area, with fragmented broadleaved woodland largely in the cloughs.
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