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Special Areas of Conservation

Duddon Mosses

Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Country England
Unitary Authority Cumbria
Centroid* SD223853
Latitude 54.25694444
Longitude -3.192777778
SAC EU Code UK0019833
Status Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Area (ha) 311.42
* This is the approximate central point of the SAC. In the case of large, linear or composite sites, this may not represent the location where a feature occurs within the SAC.
Location of Duddon Mosses SAC

General site character

  • Bogs, Marshes, Water fringed vegetation, Fens (97.4%)
  • Dry grassland, Steppes (2.3%)
  • Improved grassland (0.3%)

Download the Standard Data Form for this site (PDF <100kb)

Note When undertaking an appropriate assessment of impacts at a site, all features of European importance (both primary and non-primary) need to be considered.

Annex I habitats that are a primary reason for selection of this site

  • 7110 Active raised bogs  * Priority feature

    This complex in north-west England is found in the plain of the Duddon estuary. In the southern part of the complex, where there are transitions from saltmarsh to bog, the vegetation is rich in the rare Sphagnum pulchrum. Further north a variety of raised bog conditions can be observed, from hand-cut and vigorously regenerating cuttings, to domes of uncut bog, which display significant areas of actively-growing bog vegetation.

  • 7120 Degraded raised bogs still capable of natural regeneration

    This bog complex is within the tributary plains of the Duddon estuary in south Cumbria. The contiguity of the original peat domes has been severed by road construction and agricultural conversion. On some of the component bogs peat-cutting has left a drained surface which is now only partially 7110 active raised bog. The degraded raised bog is mostly dominated by purple moor grass Molinia caerulea, although pockets of raised bog plants including bog-mosses Sphagnum spp. offer good prospects for regeneration provided the hydrology is repaired. Degraded bog also occurs around the edges of discrete domes of active bog due to deep regional drainage and agricultural use of the surrounding land. There is no present-day peat-extraction on this site.

Annex I habitats present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for selection of this site

  • Not Applicable

Annex II species that are a primary reason for selection of this site

  • Not Applicable

Annex II species present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for site selection

  • Not Applicable

Many designated sites are on private land: the listing of a site in these pages does not imply any right of public access.