Around 70 percent of the world's heather moorland is in the UK. Moorland covers a third of the North York Moors National Park and most of the higher ground is covered in heather. It is important because in the early summer, it is warm enough for birds such as the red grouse, curlew and golden plover to find shelter and grow their newborns. Later, the heather turns into a purple carpet of flowers of miles long. In winter the moors help absorb the water coming from snow. They also help regulate the climate in the area, with their special vegetation that makes also possible for rivers to flow along them, preserving many different kinds of wildlife species.
Besides, these help many people make a living. Most of the moors are managed by farmers and landowners that use the lands for sheep farming and other activities. Some other areas are managed for landscape and wildlife, such as the Levisham Estate, which is owned by the National Park Authority, and Fylingdales Moor, managed by the Hawk & Owl Trust on behalf of the Strickland Estate. If the moors were not grazed or managed, trees would appear and much of the moorland would slowly turn into woodland.