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Aerial survey reveals Exmoor's rare peatlands as never seen before An unmanned aircraft has captured hundreds of images of Exmoor's peatlands, revealing the condition of this rare environment as never seen before.
Flying 300 metres above the ground, the state-of-the art remote-controlled vehicle captured very detailed photographs of two five-hectare study sites. The University of Exeter and South West Water will use the images to monitor the effectiveness of the planned restoration of these rare ecosystems. The research will investigate whether the restoration, due to take place later this year, will result in improved water storage in the blanket bogs, bringing benefits such as cost savings on water bills and improvements in river quality.  Known as 'blanket bogs', these habitats are globally scarce and 20 per cent of the world's blanket bogs are found in the UK. On Exmoor National Park, blanket bog and peat cover the central moorland, but have been degraded by centuries of moorland reclamation, agricultural drainage and domestic peat-cutting. The restoration will involve blocking drainage ditches using sustainable and local materials, 're-wetting' the bog and potentially improving its ability to retain water. In its natural state, a bog stores water, and during periods of heavy rainfall, it slows down the run-off of water from land before steadily releasing it as groundwater. This reduces the 'scale of fluctuation in river flows, reducing the risk of soil erosion and the amount of sediment entering rivers. Water carrying less sediment is up to 20 per cent cheaper to treat so the research will establish whether water treatment costs may be reduced as the restoration ensures cleaner water leaves the upland bogs. The ultimate aim is that fully functioning, restored blanket bogs will bring down the cost of downstream treatment of the water. This will potentially avoid water bill increases in the longer-term and aims to improve water security for the region under growing concern about long-term patterns of drought related to climate change. The survey will also assess whether rewetting the blanket bogs will support more plants, rare insect and animal species. University of Exeter geographer Dr Karen Anderson is an expert in remote sensing and is based on the Tremough Campus, Penryn. She said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to use aerial surveying technology in a new and innovative way. We are the first team to survey Exmoor's blanket peatlands using unmanned vehicles and it is exciting to be leading the way and breaking new ground through our research. It is very rewarding to be applying my expertise in remote sensing to a project that could have considerable benefits for people and wildlife." Martin Ross, from South West Water, said: "Our Upstream Thinking Project is at the cutting edge of how water is managed in a sustainable way in the UK. This unmanned aircraft is going to help us collect evidence which will show whether mire restoration is succeeding in its aims, and is an extremely cost-effective way of collecting that data. We're delighted to be working with the University of Exeter on this trial." Ends
About the University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a leading UK university and in the top one percent of institutions globally. It combines world-class research with very high levels of student satisfaction. Exeter is ranked 9th in The Sunday Times University Guide, 10th in the UK in The Times Good University Guide 2012 and 11th in the Guardian University Guide 2012. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 90% of the University's research was rated as being at internationally recognised levels and 16 of its 31 subjects are ranked in the top 10, with 27 subjects ranked in the top 20. The University has over 17,000 students and is developing its campuses in Exeter and Cornwall with almost £350 million worth of new facilities due for completion by 2012. About Upstream Thinking Upstream Thinking is a South West Water initiative aimed at improving raw water sources and reducing the cost of treating water to high tap water standards. The projects are being delivered in partnership with a range of expert organisations. Upstream Thinking is the first catchment management project in the country where water sources on non-water company land are being improved. The initiative includes several projects including the Exmoor Mires Project. Exmoor Mires Restoration project is a partnership between South West Water, Exmoor National Park Authority, the Environment Agency, Natural England and English Heritage.See www.upstreamthinking.org for more information. For further information please contact:
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