A £1.5m restoration project in Yorkshire has provided valuable protection for the local peatland and its ability to combat climate change. The development spans 1,414 hectares, equivalent to 1,724 football pitches.
The project in Middlesmoor, Upper Nidderdale was undertaken in collaboration between the landowners and Yorkshire Peat Partnership, an organisation founded under Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to achieve the restoration of upland peatlands. Healthy peatlands store carbon, instead of releasing it as carbon dioxide, and can help in moderating climate change.
Ben Ramsden, co-owner of Middlesmoor estate, says: “This project has been ongoing for over five years. It’s been an extraordinary undertaking so we’re thrilled to see its successful completion. Our moors are essentially wall-to-wall deep peat and the work to re-wet has made a marked difference to the hill. It’s a fantastic example of what can be achieved through collaboration. Our thanks go to Yorkshire Peat Partnership for their brilliant work, to Yorkshire Water for their expertise concerning water quality and flooding, as well as the graziers and the local grouse shoot.”
The estate, which have been managed for generations for both grouse shooting and upland sheep grazing, was experiencing significant erosion. The consequences of this can be substantial and include harmful peat erosion. Yorkshire Peat Partnership estimates that North Yorkshire contains over 86,000 hectares of blanket bog, the majority of which is losing carbon, with restoration work underway on approximately half of it.
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Posted On: 05/08/2020