Restoration

Grip Blocking

Over the last two winters, over 44,000 peat dams have been installed to block 473km of moorland drains. This will help to restore 2000 hectares of blanket bog as the drains fill with vegetation.

This winter, another 206 km of drains will be blocked across the North Pennines, with active support from landowners, farmers and Natural England staff.

Contractors use special excavators to create peat dams in drains, blocking them at regular intervals to stop water flows. In some projects, drain edges are also reprofiled, helping to speed up vegetation recovery. Have a look at our film to learn more.

Once blocked, the ditches fill with water and begin to re-vegetate, slowly restoring to moorland vegetation rich in the Sphagnum moss and Cotton grass that peat is made from.

Bare and Eroding Peat

Over 2000 ha of our high blanket bogs are suffering from extensive erosion, leaving exposed bare peat. These bogs often need intervention to help vegetation recolonise the bare peat. Techniques to achieve this are being used extensively in the Peak District and other parts of England. We will be starting a programme of bare peat restoration early in 2010, aiming to fence the first three sites ready for their first phase of repair later in the year.

Eroding Peat

Our work in the North Pennines is one of several peatland restoration programmes around the UK. These can be seen in more detail in the Peatland Compendium.

Across the world peatland restoration programmes are growing as governments recognise the importance of peatlands. Examples of these international projects, supported by organisations like Wetlands International can be seen here.