Peak District moorland conservation partnership marks 20 year anniversary

The Moors for the Future Partnership, consisting of public authorities, water companies, landowners and interest groups, launched on February 15, 2003, and since then has generated £50million of investment in research, monitoring and public engagement focused on the conservation of peatland habitats.

At the time, large areas of the Peak District and South Pennines had been reduced to blackened, barren, bare peat, with plant life stripped away by centuries of industrial pollution and wildfires.

To date, more than 35 square kilometres have been transformed with green carpets of moorland plants and sphagnum moss supporting species such as mountain hares, curlew and lizards.

David Chapman, a member of the national park authority and chair of the partnership, said: “Having been raised in Edale and seeing from a very early age the devastation caused to the uplands around my valley by nearly 200 years of industrial pollution, I’ve witnessed the incredible improvements made to these moorlands over the past 20 years. This anniversary is a cause for celebration but is only the start of a long journey.”

Aside from the wildlife, the Peak District moorlands play an essential role in mitigating the climate crisis, as peat is the UK’s largest terrestrial store of carbon and forms natural flood defences for communities downhill.

In a healthy state, many of our local peatlands would be much wetter, with water stored in the peat to a level – known as the water table – at or very near the surface.

A high water table is critical for blanket bog to become active – which means growing peat rather than losing it.

Each winter for the last 12 years, the partnership has run a monitoring campaign that measures the water table in the South Pennines.

From September to December, 23 hardy volunteers and 12 casual staff officers were out on the hills every week, in all conditions, measuring and recording levels at six sites to understand how water tables were changing.

Partnership manager Chris Dean said: “Having monitoring data from long periods of time across vast landscapes is vital because nature takes time to respond to restorative interventions, such as sphagnum planting. The longer the data’s timeframe, the more accurate it will be.

“In its 20th year, the partnership continues to breathe new life into damaged peatlands thanks to public and private funding.”

In 2022, this essential, patient work was made possible by a £20,000 legacy donation to the Peak District National Park Foundation.

A member of the generous family involved said: “Our mum grew up in Manchester. The Peaks were a place to get out of the city and she developed a love of the plants and scenery which she passed on to her family.

“For us, it’s important to preserve the park and ensure that communities around it can access and engage with it so that many more people get to enjoy and benefit from it.”

Foundation treasurer Andy Robinson added: “The wonderful donation has enabled the partnership to continue its important research – an incredible legacy.”

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