European Union invests millions to save UK moors for the future

The largest conservation project funded by the EU Life+ programme anywhere in the EU this year, and the largest ever in the UK, has been launched by Natural England

“MoorLIFE: Active Blanket Bog Restoration in the South Pennines Moors” spearheaded by the Moors for the Future Partnership was approved by the European Commission in April 2010 and will receive £5.5million over the next five years to protect Active Blanket Bog by restoring bare and eroding peat in the South Pennines Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area.

The work will involve stabilising the bare peat to prevent it being lost – much of it into the reservoirs supplying drinking water so water companies have to spend more money cleaning the water for consumption – and reintroducing vegetation working towards a healthy, sustainable active blanket bog habitat.

Healthy peat moors:

• Absorb and store carbon – Peat is the single biggest store of carbon in the UK, storing the equivalent of 20 years-worth of all UK CO2 emissions.
• Provide good quality drinking water – 70% of our drinking water comes from these landscapes. Damaged peat erodes into the reservoirs, which then has to be removed by water companies.
• Help reduce the likelihood of flooding by slowing the flow of rainwater, improving protection of urban areas from flash floods as seen in the Don Valley in 2007 and Derby in 2000.
• Provide a unique habitat for a wide range of wildlife.

For further information, contact Louisa Aspden on 0300 060 0168 or email [email protected]