Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

The countries of the UK have established a range of initiatives to restore peatland ecosystems within wider natural landscapes — for wildlife, as a contribution to climate mitigation and to provide wider economic and social benefits [ ] 230 Restoring peatland ecosystems In 2012, the Scottish Government funded Scottish Natural Heritage to set up the Peatland Action Pro- gramme to provide grants for peat- land restoration. Since its establish- ment, the programme has supported the restoration of over 10,000ha of peatland through 262 projects. Demonstration, training and online education resources have been used to engage local communities. Public support for the programme is high, with 95 per cent of surveyed respond- ents agreeing that future generations will benefit from the restoration of peatlands. In 2003, the Moors for the Future Partnership was set up in England to restore peatland in the Peak District and South Pennines. The programme is supported by a range of partners including the Peak District National Park Authority, Government Agen- cies, non-governmental bodies and water companies, and has a broad funding base, including Government agencies, Heritage Lottery and the EU LIFE Programme. Since 2003, the partnership has been responsible for the revegetation of 30 km 2 of bare, eroding and des- iccated peat. Monitoring has shown that conservation works can lead to a rapid accumulation of sediment with a 90 per cent reduction in particulate organic carbon in stream water in gully-blocked and revegetated sites compared to control sites. In 2017, a new US$13.2 million grant scheme to restore England’s iconic peatlands was officially opened for bids. Grants were awarded in May 2018 to projects supporting the restoration of 6,580ha of upland and lowland peatlands. The work of the projects will abate and store an estimated 23,000 tonnes of carbon per year. In 2017, Northern Ireland (along- side the border region of Ireland and Western Scotland) received funding from the European Union INTER- REG VA Programme to undertake a number of conservation projects that will make significant contributions to the restoration of natural habitats and vulnerable wildlife in these countries. The Co-operation Across Borders for Biodiversity project is worth US$ 5.7 million and will include restoration of 2,228ha of blanket bog across the three countries including Garron Platea, which is one of the best examples of blanket bog any- where on the island of Ireland. The US$ 9.6 million Collaborative Action for the Natura Network project will improve the conservation status of 3,150 hectares of natural habitats, including peatland. In Wales, the ambitious goal is to get all Welsh peatland which supports semi-natural habitat into sustainable management by 2020 (around 66,000ha). Changes to the approach to natural resource management of the Welsh uplands have led to the provision of at least US$ 10.6 million by the Sustainable Management Scheme, supporting 15 projects. As a result of these efforts, over 50 per cent of Wales’s semi-natu- ral peatlands are now being managed in a sustainable way. P eatland ecosystems are globally significant for their contribution to carbon capture and storage. They support rich wildlife communities and can regulate water flow and improve water quality. In the UK, peatlands have been subject to a variety of pressures related to land management, drainage, afforestation, pollution and climate change. The countries of the UK have established a range of initiatives to restore peatland ecosystems within wider natural landscapes – for wildlife, as a contribution to climate mitigation and to provide wider economic and social benefits. Wales’s semi-natural peatlands Black Mountains Land Use Partnership United Kingdom