Freshwater plants and SSSI canals in the East Midlands and North of England 1: Leeds & Liverpool Canal and Huddersfield Narrow Canal

摘要

Canals and their towing paths in England have multiple uses; as well as navigation they are used by walkers, runners, cyclists and anglers. Some are important for drainage, water supply or disposal of treated effluent. Some canals pass through deeplyrural environs while other canal-side locations host traditional industry or new commercial or retail estates; some are the focus of leisure activity and housing development. Biological conservation is also an important aspect of the canal scene. Many canals, both rural and urban, have abundant and diverse aquatic plant communities and many lengths of canal are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI); Briggs (2012) reported that around 9% (c. 225km) of the then British Waterways' canals had been notified as SSSI.