Lake District Nature Reserve: Why are they so important?
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A new National Nature Reserve has been created in the Lake District to help protect the landscape.
Wild Ennerdale National Nature Reserve will be the largest nature reserve in the Lake District, and the ninth largest in England.
Its creation is part of a government commitment to protect natural environments and stop the decline in wildlife populations that call these places home.
3,000 hectares of landscape will be protected - that's an area of around 4,200 football pitches.
Protecting wildlife habitats for the future
England's first Nature Reserve was created 70 years ago on 19 May 1952 on the Pennine Moors of Cumbria and County Durham.
And Wild Ennerdale now joins a long and diverse list of special places in need of vital protection.
National Nature Reserves (NNRs) were created across the UK to protect the country's most important habitats and species, and provide a place for people to come and visit to enjoy nature.
There are currently 225 NNRs in England
NNRs cover a total area of over 98,600 hectares - approximately 0.7% of the country's land surface
The largest NNR is The Wash; covering almost 8,800 hectares
They're vital places that preserve the balance of nature in the wild and ensure the different animals that live there can survive and thrive.
NNRs also give us spectacular places to visit and enjoy; which is good for our physical health and mental wellness.
The new NNR includes woodlands, waterfalls and lakes within its boundaries, important habitats for a variety of plants and animals
The Wild Ennerdale National Nature Reserve is a project that began 20 years ago. Its landscape covers lakes, forests and mountains and will be categorised as one of England's first 'super NNRs' - part of a big plan to create a more joined-up "nature recovery network" across the country.
It brings together a partnerships of four big organisations: Forestry England, National Trust, United Utilities and Natural England. The land that the reserve covers takes in natural spaces these organisations own or operate, so its been crucial that they're all working together to enable this monster project to happen.
Ennerdale Valley is a haven for fish, birds and insects and provides much treasured access to green space for local people. The declaration today strengthens our commitment to nature's recovery and our ambitions to leave the natural world in a better state than we found it.
The huge area that the NNR covers is home to red squirrels, Arctic Charr - a fish that has survived there since the ice age - and the biggest population of freshwater mussels in England.
As well as that there are rare plants and flowers and natural woodland. All these things are crucial to preserving for the future, which is why reserves like this are so important.
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