England's peatland to be restored under new £10m grant scheme

Defra has allocated a total of £10 million between four projects in England
Defra has allocated a total of £10 million between four projects in England

England's peatland areas will be restored under a new cash injection of £10m, the government has announced.

With a total area size of 10,000 football pitches (6,580 hectares) in England, peatland areas help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide habitat for wildlife.

The new funding will help deliver commitments in the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan to create a new framework for peat restoration.

The work will be delivered through four local partnership projects and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions making their way into the atmosphere by creating a natural store for carbon.

This will abate and store an estimated 23,000 tonnes of carbon per year contributing to the UK’s climate change goals.

Defra has allocated a total of £10 million between the four projects.

The North of England Peat Partnership led by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust will restore 394 ha of lowland raised bog and 1679 ha of blanket bog across 21 peatland sites in the north of England.

The South West Peatlands Bid led by South West Water will be delivered through local partnerships. The focus is on 1,680 ha of upland peat across Bodmin Moor, Dartmoor and Exmoor.

Meres & Mosses Carbon Capture Project led by Shropshire Wildlife Trust aims to restore a mix of nine lowland and upland peatland sites covering 98 ha across the Meres & Mosses Natural Area.

Moor Carbon, led by the Peak District National Park Authority, will be working in the Peak District National Park, West Pennine Moors SSSI, and Rossendale Gap to restore over 2,000 hectares of blanket bog.