THE former Green Party leader Natalie Bennett has said that a section of the Yorkshire Dales has a 'terrible lack of biodiversity.' 

Baroness Bennett, who is now a member of the House of Lords, was travelling on a replacement bus service on the M6 between Penrith and Oxenholme when she took a photo of the Howgills. 

She called the hills 'terribly bare, steep hills' and raised the 'Slow The Flow' campaign, which promotes natural flood prevention measures that slow the volume of water running down hillsides. 

"Plus what a terrible lack of biodiversity," Baroness Bennett added. 

A spokesperson from Yorkshire Dales National Park said that the Howgills are 'going through a transformation' as the government's agri-environment scheme funding has paid for tree and shrub planting.

"Historically, this area in the north west of the Yorkshire Dales National Park hasn’t benefitted from the same kind of funding as other parts as the geology, landform and past grazing practices has limited the range of habitats," the spokesperson added. 

"Most of the Howgills are commons or privately-owned land, and, while we’d like to see land owners/managers moving forward with agri-environment schemes, we can’t insist that happens.

"That said, there are a number of projects happening, including tree-planting, moorland restoration work and flood mitigation schemes - with support and guidance from a range of organisations, including the Woodland Trust, Lune Rivers Trust and the National Park Authority."

Much of the area only became part of the National Park since its extension in 2016. The spokesperson said that it is a 'work in progress' so it will take time before changes become visible. 

The park authority raised a nature recovery project called Cumbria Connect which takes place in part of the Howgills and its hinterland north of the upland area. 

This scheme is aimed at nature recovery across farmland, linking core areas of re-wilded habitats. 

A new Nature Recovery Plan was published for the National Park last autumn which provides a roadmap to 'achieving a more natural, wildlife-rich landscape.' 

The spokesperson said: "The success of this plan depends on local farmers and landowners receiving the resources and support they need to bring about the changes required - for example, around grazing management, scrub and woodland creation, peat restoration, and hay meadow creation and enhancement."

Natalie Bennett stepped down as Green Party leader in 2016, becoming a life peer in the House of Lords three years later.