PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The South Pennine Moors’ Natura 2000 site is important for the EU priority habitat, active blanket bog. The conservation status of the site has, over the years, been unfavourable and under threat due to almost two centuries of heavy sulphate and nitrate pollution, leading to the destruction or severe depletion of the essential sphagnum cover of these moors. Fire damage has thus led to extreme levels of erosion that are now so widespread that not only is it difficult for sphagnum to become re-established but even those areas which have managed to retain sphagnum cover remain under continued threat of further erosion and new fires.
OBJECTIVES
The aim of the MoorLIFE2020 project is to conserve and protect the priority active blanket bog habitat within the South Pennine Moors’ Natura 2000 site and the ecosystem services it provides. It will protect the integrity of around 9 500 ha of the target habitat by:
Stopping the erosion of the peat body by re-vegetating 837 ha of bare peat and ensuring the positive trajectory of a further 2 030 ha; Raising water tables to reduce chemical peat erosion by blocking 50 402 m of grips and 57 582 m of erosion gullies; Reducing wildfire risk and increasing habitat resilience by diversifying 4 640 ha of homogenous vegetation; Improving the hydrological integrity of the blanket bog and reducing wildfire risk and severity by delivering and further developing sphagnum reintroduction methods; and Reducing erosion of the peat body and raising water tables by trials of blocking peat pipes. The project will moreover increase the resilience of 8 500 ha of the targeted habitat by introducing appropriate plant species in 1 400 ha of species-poor habitat and by controlling invasive species on 1 800 ha. It will also safeguard the bog habitats through the promotion of appropriate land management and by reducing the threat of wildfires.
Expected results:
2 040 ha of damaged ground improved (43 ha of bare and eroding peat) within a mosaic of 10 453 ha of active blanket bog; Installation of 8 226 gully blocks along 57 582 m of gullies; Installation of 7 172 grip blocks along 50 204 m of grips; Best practice techniques for management of peat pipes, application of sphagnum at a landscape scale and re-establishment of sphagnum; Sphagnum applied to 970 ha of cut Calluna, Molinia and Eriophorum dominated blanket bog; 1.36 ha of established rhododendron plants removed; 1 800 ha of invasive woody seedlings cleared; Creation of ‘Restoration trajectories’; Up-to-date map of vegetation cover; High-resolution mapping of capital works sites, using remote sensing technology to enable planning; Evidence carbon budget in project delivery and carbon benefits of the capital works programme; Land management materials and code of practice for sustainable moorland management; Junior MoorLIFE established, giving young people the chance to attend a Euro Parks youth ranger congress; 80 events organised to reach local community; and Project information boards installed.
