North Pennines peatlands receive further support from German environmental association

23 July 2026

• €730,000 investment to rewet some of the UK’s most valuable peatlands
• Announcement of funding to mark Bog Day, the international celebration day for these valuable habitats
• The funding will have benefits for nature, climate and people

To celebrate International Bog Day (26 July 2026), the North Pennines National Landscape and the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) are announcing a significant international collaboration to support peatland restoration.

NABU, Germany’s oldest and largest environmental association, will support the restoration of valuable peatlands in the North Pennines with €730,000 of funding, and, in doing so, will contribute to better global climate regulation. Healthy peatlands are vital for biodiversity and provide multiple benefits for society, such as flood mitigation, improving water quality, and storing carbon.

This funding follows significant support from NABU for peatland restoration in the North Pennines in 2023 and 2024 totalling €1.1 million.
The NABU contribution comes at a milestone moment for the National Landscape team, as they mark the twenty-year anniversary of peatland restoration in the North Pennines.

The North Pennines team has been successful in attracting private sector funding as part of a blended finance approach to its nature and conservation work, and is proactively seeking other, non-governmental, financial backing. Paul Leadbitter, Peatland Programme Manager with the North Pennines National Landscape team, said: “We’re really pleased to be working with NABU once again, in our 20th anniversary year, and to be delivering this project that makes a significant contribution towards their goals of addressing the climate and biodiversity crises.

“This agreement shows that the North Pennines team is continuing to attract private sector support for nature, allowing us to contribute significantly to the UK’s 30×30 targets for nature. The funds from NABU will match with government funding from the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme to allow us to continue to deliver restoration at scale in the National Landscape.”

The funding is part of the £2.8 million work programme for the current financial year, and will support work on degraded peatland on five North Pennines sites in Cumbria and County Durham. All the land is in private ownership, and the project is being carried out in collaboration with landowners and land managers. Restoring over 1000 hectares, equivalent to around 1500 football pitches, will improve habitat quality and restore water levels of the blanket bog. Since the beginning of their peatland work in 2006, the team has brought in £52 million of funding to bring over 50,000 hectares of peatland under restoration.

The collaboration with NABU began after the North Pennines National Landscape team presented at a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) webinar on green finance. With more than 980,000 members and supporters, NABU is committed to the conservation of threatened habitats, flora, and fauna, climate protection and sustainable energy policy.

“Nature and climate protection know no borders. That’s why NABU is active everywhere on the ground where peatlands are in need of extensive protection and restoration – for peatlands are true climate heroes and hotspots of biodiversity,” says Dr. Tilmann Disselhoff, Head of Team Ecosystem Restoration at NABU. “They are a key priority within our international strategy, and we are very pleased to be putting this funding in place to protect and rewet these valuable habitats across Europe and restore their natural ecosystem services.”

Disselhoff emphasises: “Peatlands are the most effective but also the most damaged natural carbon reservoir. With the NABU Climate Fund, we are pursuing the goal of saving peatlands on a much larger scale than before. The funds we raise in cooperation with our corporate partners can only partially be invested in peatland restoration within Germany – but by working with and empowering strong local partners across Europe, we can take action against the climate and biodiversity crises on a significantly larger scale. To that end, we are delighted to continue our collaboration with the North Pennines National Landscape team, which has two decades of experience of the successful delivery of these large-scale programmes.”

The work is part of the Great North Bog coalition, an ambitious, large-scale collaboration to restore the upland peatlands of the North of England. The partners, the North Pennines National Landscape team, the Yorkshire Peat Partnership, the Moors for the Future Partnership, the Northumberland Peat Partnership, Cumbria Peat Partnership, and Lancashire Peat Partnership, work together to bring large-scale benefits for people and nature through peatland restoration. The Great North Bog partners work across nearly 7000 square kilometres of peatland soils in the Protected Landscapes of northern England which hold 400 million tonnes of carbon. By working together to deliver a 10-year funding, restoration, and conservation plan, the Great North Bog partners are making a significant contribution to the UK’s climate and carbon targets.

ENDS

Notes for editors

1. For further information, contact the North Pennines National Landscape communications team – communications@northpennines.org.uk / phone: 01388 528801 / 07920020648, or email NABU’s press contact Silvia Teich – presse@nabu.de

2. For an overview of NABU’s peatland restoration work visit https://en.nabu.de/focus-regions/europe/european-wetlands.html

3. Peatland images, all © North Pennines National Landscape. For alternative images, please contact the communications team on communications@northpennines.org.uk

4. The North Pennines National Landscape is one of England’s most special places – a peaceful, unspoilt landscape with a rich history and vibrant natural beauty. It was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1988. The purpose of this nationally recognised designation is the conservation and enhancement of the natural beauty of the area.

5. At almost 2,000 sq. kilometres the North Pennines is the second largest of the 46 National Landscapes (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) and is one of the most peaceful and unspoilt places in England. Visit www.landscapesforlife.org.uk for information about the National Landscapes family.

6. The North Pennines lies between the National Parks of the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, and Northumberland with the urban centres of County Durham away to the east. Parts of the National Landscape are within the boundaries of four local authorities; Cumberland Council, Durham County Council, Northumberland County Council, and Westmorland & Furness Council.

7. The North Pennines National Landscape Partnership is an alliance of public, statutory and voluntary sector bodies with an interest in the future of the North Pennines. The work of the partnership is carried out by the National Landscape team which takes action to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area, to raise awareness of its special qualities and to improve the quality of life for local people.

8. UNESCO Global Geopark – As well as being a National Landscape, the North Pennines is a UNESCO Global Geopark. This puts the area’s Geopark status in the same UNESCO family as World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves. UNESCO Global Geoparks are places with outstanding geology where special effort is made to make the most of geological heritage to support community and economy. Locally this includes producing geo-trails, developing projects with school and community groups, producing displays for visitor attractions and holding geology festivals and events.