Habital restoration
Peatland restoration in the UK
Since March 2025 there have been over 30 moorland fires in the Peak District and South Pennines. This project has a restoration focus on recovering the peatland from recent fires in the Goyt Valley near Buxton. The Goyt Valley fire in April/May 2025 affected 1,738,391 m2 of peatland near Buxton.
Recovering this habitat by planting sphagnum moss plugs will:
Help to combat biodiversity decline
Promote healthy blanket bog functionality
Slow water runoff and soil erosion
Increase resilience to wildfires
Protect and enhance long-term carbon sequestration
Moors for the Future Partnership have worked together to protect and re-wet the uplands of the Peak District and South Pennines for 22 years, taking them from the most degraded peatland in Europe, with miles and miles of exposed and eroding bare peat releasing carbon into the atmosphere, to a landscape on the trajectory to recovery.
It is essential to continue to restore and maintain our uplands for the multiple benefits that blanket bogs bring, ranging from natural flood management to health and well-being, and their crucial role in tackling climate change.
Why support peatland restoration
Peatlands are one of the planet’s most important ecosystems, playing a crucial role in carbon storage. Although they cover just 3% of the Earth’s land surface, these carbon-dense wetlands hold a significant share of the world's soil carbon. In the UK, peatlands make up around 12% of the land area, however it's estimated that around 80% of these peatlands are currently degraded or in decline, limiting their ability to function as effective carbon sinks and vital habitats.
In the UK, there are 3 types of peatland:
Blanket bog – large areas of peat found largely in uplands fed primarily by rainfall
Raised bog – localised domes of peat in lowland areas fed primarily by rainfall
Fens – fed by mineral-rich groundwater and river water, as well as rainfall
In their healthy, natural state, peatlands play a vital role in climate regulation by having a net cooling effect. They also help reduce flood risk, slowing water flow from upland areas and storing floodwaters in lowland regions. Additionally, healthy peatlands support a rich diversity of wildlife, providing crucial nesting and feeding habitats for wading birds such as curlew and snipe, non-wading birds such as Golden plover, short-eared owl and dunlin, and sheltering rare plants and insects.
Only around 20% of the UK’s peatlands remain in a near-natural condition. Degraded peatlands, instead of storing carbon, have become significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions. This damage has been driven by a range of human activities over the years, including agricultural drainage, commercial forestry, overgrazing, burning for game and livestock management, peat extraction for horticulture, and fuel cutting.
How do we rate this project?
This project contributes towards several important SDGs, bringing benefits to local people and nature, as well as the climate.
Healthy peatlands help provide clean, high-quality drinking water, ensuring safer water supplies for communities. By regulating water flow and reducing flood risk, restored peatlands also help protect homes and infrastructure. Cleaner air, reduced wildfire risk, and increased biodiversity further support healthier living environments for local citizens.
These landscapes are vital source catchments for drinking water, supplying over a quarter of the UK’s fresh water. Healthy peatlands act as natural filters, improving water quality by reducing the amount of sediment and dissolved organic carbon entering watercourses. By restoring sphagnum moss and improving bog condition, the project helps to regulate water flows.
Local volunteers are involved in the project throughout its delivery.
Restored blanket bogs are more resilient to climate change, reducing emissions, and sequester carbon when in good condition.
Restoring blanket bogs halts degradation and increases biodiversity. As the ecosystem recovers, biodiversity increases, soil health improves, and the land becomes more resilient to environmental pressures, ensuring the long-term protection and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.
About
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2025
Peatland restoration
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Fund this project
This project is supported in our UK Nature Fund in the impact shop.