The Peatscapes Project
Northumbrian Water is supporting the Peatscapes Project, which is led by the North Pennines AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) Partnership and is funded from many sources. Northumbrian Water Ltd supports the Peatscapes Project because of our commitment to exploring the opportunities for partnership working to promote the water quality and wider benefits of holistic catchment management.
The Peatscapes Project was conceived in 2005 in response to the need to address upland peat issues in the North Pennines. Since then, working with the Environment Agency, Natural England, and Northumbrian Water, plus other partners, Peatscapes has evolved to be a collaborative project that aims to conserve and enhance the internationally important peatland resource within the North Pennines AONB. Its main objectives are: celebration, promoting best practice, research and restoration.
Peatscapes aims to centralise, coordinate, streamline and celebrate the current restoration, conservation and monitoring efforts occurring on peatlands in the North Pennines AONB. Peatscapes’ mission is to influence, encourage and assist land owners, managers and farmers throughout the AONB to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature in the AONB and to ensure that any use of natural resources is ecologically and economically sustainable. By proactively engaging with land owners, managers, farmers and the wider community in an systematic approach and through varied communication techniques, Peatscapes is working to change the attitudes towards peatlands and demonstrate achievable ways in which people can take local action to protect the wider environment.
Current and recent activities include:
• Writing and publishing leaflets on peatland land management and water colour, the Living History of peatlands, and from Peat to Global Warming, which describes in simple terms the links between peat, habitat diversity, flooding, history, drainage, grazing, burning, carbon storage and global warming.
• Working with land managers to fund and undertake grip blocking at key sites in the North Pennines. So far seven restoration projects have been completed, with over 200km of grips blocked and 400 hectares of blanket bog restored.
• Contacting landowners, agents, keepers and farmers and arranging one to one meetings with them to discuss the links between peatland management, climate change, flood risk, carbon storage and other key issues.
• Commissioning scientific research into various aspects of peatland function.
• Holding a conference called ‘Peatland Matters’ from 25-26 September 2007 in Durham.
• Working with the Killhope Museum to develop a peat-based exhibition that will run throughout 2008. They have also set up a scheme to offer museum visitors the opportunity to compensate for the carbon emissions released from their travel to and from the museum by donating a small sum to peatland restoration projects in the North Pennines and receive an energy efficient light bulb for their house.
For more information about the Peatscapes Project, contact the Project Manager, Paul Leadbitter, on 01388 528 801 or at paulpeatscapes@northpenninesaonb.org.uk