Successful peatland restoration season draws to a close
28/04/2008
The North Pennines Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership’s Peatscapes project has completed a series of grip blocking restoration projects on the upland peat of the North Pennines. The work was started in December 2007 and has now been completed.
A total of 200 kilometres of grips (drainage ditches) have been blocked with over 400 hectares of blanket bog being restored. This represents around 2% of the total number of moorland drains in the AONB and will have positive effects on the peat’s ability to act as a carbon store, whilst improving biodiversity at the same time.
Almost 60 kilometres of this work was completed in County Durham which has over 4000 kilometres of grips that were cut into the peat over the past 50 years. This work was funded by the County Durham Environmental Trust (CDENT) under the Government’s Landfill Communities Fund and represents a significant piece of restoration work on the peatlands which will have positive impacts of water quality and quantity, carbon storage and biodiversity.
John Wearmouth Chairman of CDENT said: “CDENT is delighted to have been able to help them reinvigorate and restore peatland across County Durham. The AONB Partnership is to be congratulated on this pioneering scheme.”
The first projects began in December 2007 and have concluded this week. Restoration work can only happen in certain winter months due to nesting birds in the spring and summer.
Contractors used low ground pressure excavators to create peat dams in drainage ditches, blocking them at regular intervals to stop the flow of water. Once blocked, the ditches fill with water and begin to re-vegetate, slowly restoring to moorland vegetation rich in the Sphagnum moss and cottongrass that peat is made from.
“We estimate that the North Pennines AONB has about 660 million tonnes of carbon dioxide locked up in the peat, this equates to about 30 years of the DRAX power station emissions. In the North Pennines a key threat to this carbon storage system is the drying of peatlands because of the widespread drainage of them. By blocking up the moorland grips or drains we can effectively keep the carbon locked up,” says Paul Leadbitter, Peatscape Project Manager.
Blocking the drains not only helps to restore moorland habitat, it makes a great contribution to reducing water colour and downstream flood risk and improves carbon storage potential within the bog. The scale of this contribution will be demonstrated at two moorland sites where the AONB Partnership is working with Newcastle University to measure the effect of drain blocking on water flow, colour and sediment load through the drain networks being blocked.
Installation of monitoring equipment is now complete and data will be gathered and reported on over a minimum of the next two years.
Funding for this work has come from CDENT, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Northumbrian Water, the Environment Agency and Natural England.
For more information contact Paul Leadbitter (Peatscapes Project Manager) at the North Pennines AONB Partnership on 01388 528801 (paulpeatscapes@northpenninesaonb.org.uk)
ENDS
Notes to editors
1. Contact Paul Leadbitter (Peatscapes Project Manager) at the North Pennines AONB Partnership on 01388 528801 (paulpeatscapes@northpenninesaonb.org.uk) for more information and availability for TV and radio interviews.
2. Images – A low-resolution image is attached (phone for higher if needed). Other images are also available. Please call Paul Leadbitter on 01388 528801 for details.
3. The North Pennines AONB Partnership is a strategic alliance of 24 public, statutory and voluntary sector bodies with an interest in the future of the AONB. The AONB Partnership, through its Staff Unit, takes action to look after the natural beauty of the North Pennines and seeks to co-ordinate the efforts of others. It also raises awareness of the AONB’s special qualities and administers the UNESCO Global and European Geopark status for the AONB.
4. CDENT was formed 10 years ago and has allocated funds over £10 million – received under the Government’s Landfill Communities Fund – to a host of projects that benefit the local environment and the people who live, work and visit County Durham, Darlington, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland. Information on priorities in the CDENT strategy and other schemes funded by CDENT, under the Landfill Tax Scheme can be viewed on the website at www.cdent.co.uk
5. The North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is one of the finest landscapes in the country. It was designated in 1988 and at almost 2,000 sq. kilometres it is the second largest of the 41 AONBs (in England and Wales) and is one of the most peaceful and unspoilt places in England. It lies between the National Parks of the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, and Northumberland with the urban centres of County Durham away to the east. The AONB lies within the boundaries of nine local authorities; the 3 counties of Cumbria, Durham and Northumberland and the six districts of Carlisle, Eden, Derwentside, Teesdale, Tynedale and Wear Valley. More information – call 01388 528801 or visit www.northpennines.org.uk
6. Peatscapes Project - is a collaborative project, led by the North Pennines AONB Partnership, that is conserving and enhancing the internationally important peatland resource within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The objectives of Peatscapes are: Restoration Supporting restoration and management work through the promotion of existing agri-environment and wildlife enhancement grants and through sourcing new additional funds; Celebration Raising the level of understanding and appreciation of the significance of the resource to those living in, working in and visiting the area; Promoting best practice Supporting the provision of management advice on upland peatland to form the basis of practical management works; Research Supporting and disseminating new and existing research into peatland processes, ecology and management.