Helicopters drop off vital supplies for Kinder Scout peatland restoration in remote part of Peak District

The next chapter in the National Trust’s project focuses on 526 hectares and is aimed at capturing carbon, slowing the flow of water off the moor to reduce the risk fo flooding and improve water quality. It will provide vital homes for wildlife and make the landscape more resilient to climate change.

Phil Owen, project manager for peatland restoration at the National Trust in the Peak District, said: “It is exciting to see the next phase of this large-scale peatland restoration start again. In good condition the moorlands of the Peak District can help reduce the impact of climate change by locking away carbon and slowing the flow of rainwater further downstream, so it’s vital that we do as much restoration as quickly as we can.

“The helicopters are transporting the materials needed to start the restoration process by stabilising bare peat and creating the right conditions for a variety of moorland plants to grow. Without helicopters, we wouldn't be able to work in such remote and sensitive areas where the only other access is by foot­."

The first helicopter lifts carried heather brash, lime, seed and fertiliser to some of the hardest to reach locations on this iconic Peak District landmark, which will be used to stabilise bare peat by temporarily lowering its acidity and create the right conditions for moorland plants to grow.

Other vital components of the project to help peat bogs form and hold water on the moors include building thousands of stone dams in gullies and planting hundreds of thousands of small sphagnum moss plugs.

Earlier this year, in the first phase of the project, around 130,000 of the 800,000 sphagnum moss plug plants needed for the restoration were planted before work paused for ground nesting bird season. Once the newly planted sphagnum moss plugs have established, they will act as 'speed-bumps' for rainwater falling on the moors, forcing it to weave its way slowly down the moorland slopes instead of running in a straight line. This helps to create healthier blanket bog, protect the area’s precious peat and slow the flow of rainwater across the landscape and alleviate flooding.

The restoration work will create sufficiently wet conditions for a mix of moorland plants like heather, bilberry, and cotton grass to grow, which will help to protect the landscape for future generations at the same time as creating homes for wildlife like dragonflies, golden plover, frogs and lizards.

Many of the National Nature Reserve’s footpaths will be restored in the later stage of the project.

The restoration of the Peak District’s peatlands has been made possible thanks to part of a grand total of £1.86m of funding from Natural England’s Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme (NCPGS) as well as £400,000 the National Trust have allocated to carry out the restoration works on Kinder Scout.

This project on Kinder Scout is expected to be completed by 2025.