Defra: ‘A new injection of £10m of government money will help restore more than 10,000 football pitches-worth of England’s iconic peatlands. Peat bogs and fens are important habitats that provide food and shelter for wildlife, help with flood management, improve water quality and play a part in climate regulation. The new funding will help deliver commitments in the Government’s flagship 25 Year Environment Plan to create a new ambitious framework for peat restoration in England. The total area of 6,580 hectares of upland and lowland peatlands that these grants will support work on is equivalent to 10,613 football pitches. The work will be delivered through four local partnership projects and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions making their way into the atmosphere by creating a natural store for carbon. This vital work will abate and store an estimated 23,000 tonnes of carbon per year contributing to the UK’s climate change goals. A panel of experts and Defra officials assessed the projects and awarded the funding based on the potential for carbon abatement.’