Peatscapes
The AONB Partnership's Peatscapes project aims to conserve and enhance the internationally important peatland resource within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and to promote peatland conservation at local, national and international levels.
What is peat and why is it important?
Peat soils form when conditions do not allow plants to decompose completely. There are around 900 square kilometres of peatland in the North Pennines and most of this is blanket bog, a unique type of peat habitat, found only in cool, wet regions of the world. 27% of England's blanket bog can be found in the North Pennines. These peatlands are important because they:
- Are an internationally designated habitat for wildlife
- Play an important role in maintaining drinking water quality
- Have a role in flood control at some scales
- Are a significant store of carbon, with implications for climate change
- Contain a record of the historic environment since the last ice age
- Support local employment through farming, shooting, tourism and conservation jobs.
Our project objectives are:
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Restoration - Supporting restoration and management work through the promotion of existing agri-environment and wildlife enhancement grants and through sourcing new additional funds.
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Celebration - Raising the level of understanding and appreciation of the significance of the resource to those living in, working in and visiting the area.
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Promoting best practice - Supporting the provision of management advice on upland peatland to form the basis of practical management works.
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Research - Supporting and disseminating new and existing research into peatland processes, ecology and management.
View the video below for an overview of the project:
The BBC's Trai Anfield visited the North Pennines to discover the importance of peatlands and the challenges that they face, click below to view a clip from the Wild Weather programme:
Further information
For further information about our Peatscapes project please contact:
Paul Leadbitter - Project Manager
Emma Taylor - Field Officer
Andy Lloyd - Research Officer