LIFEquake project launch - Natural Resources Wales
In a week that has seen the nature emergency and Welsh Government commitments to tackle biodiversity decline taking centre stage, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and partners have signalled their own ambitions to tackling the intrinsically linked climate and nature emergencies with the launch of the LIFEquake project.
Funded by EU LIFE and supported by Welsh Government, LIFEquake is a five-year project which aims to restore peatland, quaking bogs and their wider supporting wetland landscapes to favourable conservation status.
The main focus are ‘quaking bogs’ – so called because when conditions are right the ground ‘quakes’ underfoot.
Peatland is the most valuable land resource in Wales as it stores 30% of land-based carbon. Covering about 4% of Wales, it is estimated that 90% of Welsh peatland is in a deteriorating condition and emitting greenhouse gasses that contribute to climate change.
Delivered in partnership by NRW, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Snowdonia National Park and the National Trust, the project will focus on seven Special Areas of Conservation – Crymlyn Bog, North West Pembrokeshire Commons, Preseli, Rhos Goch, Corsydd Eifionydd, Gweunydd Blaencleddau and Cors Caron.
The habitat has been assessed as ‘unfavourable’ at all selected sites. Such conditions are often caused by the land being over-grazed by animals. In some cases, insufficient grazing has led to important plants being smothered by dominant or invasive species. Other factors affecting the sites are abandonment of land management, poor drainage and widespread pollution.
The project will address poor water conditions on the seven sites by restoring historical drainage and flow regimes – in some cases bringing more water onto a bog, and in others removing it.
Over the lifetime of the project almost 50 km of fencing and other infrastructure will be installed across the sites which will allow the right levels of sustainable grazing to take place. Mowing, scraping and excavation will take place to remove vegetation and undesirable invasive species currently smothering the important plants and mosses that create these ‘quaking bogs’.
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Posted On: 07/10/2022