The South West Peatland Partnership is gearing up to start its 2025/26 peatland restoration season on Dartmoor, continuing work to restore and protect the peat of this globally significant landscape.
This season’s work will focus on several key and remote sites across Dartmoor where degraded peatlands will have their damaged natural hydrology improved. Blocking erosion channels that take water off the moors will help to reduce carbon loss, improve water quality, and diversify the species of birds and insects that breed and thrive on these areas.
Morag Angus, South West Water’s Peatland Partnership Project Manager, said:
“It is fantastic to see peatland restoration commencing again. South West Water is delighted to be the lead partner in the SWPP, which is delivering this amazing work.
“This vitally important work helps us to address water quality issues with water entering into reservoirs. It helps to keep more water on the moors and entering into the rivers during drought periods. It is vital to be part of action on the ground that is addressing the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis we currently face."
George Kohler, SWPP senior restoration officer who worked on the planning and consultation of several sites, shared the increasingly timely and urgent need for the large-scale works to take place:
“The past year has shown us how important peatland restoration is. It can’t wait. Fires on peatlands, and record-breaking rainfall over short periods combined with long periods of dry weather all take their toll.
"We need to get Dartmoor’s peatlands as healthy and resilient to the changing climate as we can now, to benefit us all in the coming years. More and more research continues to show how peat bogs are a crucial habitat in need of restoration. This work improves wildlife habitat, helps to store water, reduces erosion and carbon loss into streams and rivers, and provides water sources for moorland livestock.
"Working through the autumn and winter helps us to protect nesting bird species. We’re well prepared for the weather that a Dartmoor winter throws our way. You may spot our specialised low-pressure machines out on the moor this season, helping to stop ongoing erosion and crucially hold back water to raise that water table in the peat.”
Martin Gillard, SWPP Historic Environment Officer shares the importance of upland areas on our collective cultural and historical record:
“Healthy peat keeps a record of human interactions with our environment and the climate dating back over thousands of years; if we let the peat dry out or erode away, we risk losing that information.
"In my role working with SWPP project officers and contractors I ensure that historic features are protected during the restoration works and carry out or commission surveys and studies that add to our knowledge of Dartmoor and its peatlands.”
The SWPP aims to restore hundreds of hectares of degrading peat each year across Dartmoor, Exmoor and Cornwall, supporting national targets of peatland restoration. The work is being delivered in partnership with local contractors, landowners and organisations, and is supported by funding from Natural England’s Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme, South West Water, Duchy of Cornwall, Environment Agency and National Trust.