Peatland restoration

Our peatland restoration programme aims to conserve and enhance the internationally important peatland resource within the North Pennines and to promote peatland conservation at local, national and international levels.

What is peat and why is it important?

Peat soils form when conditions do not allow plants to decompose completely. There are around 900 square kilometres of peatland in the North Pennines and most of this is blanket bog, a unique type of peat habitat, found only in cool, wet regions of the world. 27% of England’s blanket bog can be found in the North Pennines. These peatlands are important because they:

• are an internationally designated habitat for wildlife;
• play an important role in maintaining drinking water quality;
• have a role in flood control at some scales;
• are a significant store of carbon, with implications for climate change;
• contain a record of the historic environment since the last ice age; and
• support local employment through farming, shooting, tourism and conservation jobs.

Pennine PeatLIFE

Pennine PeatLIFE was a major peatland restoration project funded by the EU LIFE Programme. It was led by the North Pennines National Landscape team in collaboration with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the Forest of Bowland National Landscape team. Visit our Pennine PeatLIFE web pages for more information.