The government has announced funding awards to improve lowland peat soils, including over £1.3 million to projects across the North.

Peatlands are the country’s largest terrestrial carbon store, however, as a result of centuries of drainage for agriculture, just 1% of England’s lowland peatlands remain in a near-natural state, and these drained peatlands account for 88% of all greenhouse gas emissions from England’s peat.

The projects will use government funding to improve the management of water on lowland peat and enhance understanding of climate change impacts and flood risk.

The projects in the North are:

• Lancashire Wildlife Trust were awarded £327,500 for a wetter farming trial and a feasibility study.
• Groundwork Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside were awarded £100,200 to investigate the feasibility of re-wetting areas of Lindow Moss.
• National Trust, Cheshire, were awarded £65,000 to produce a wider costed water-management plan, including undertaking detailed surveys to understand the extent and nature of the peat soils.
• Mersey Rivers Trust were awarded £55,000 to develop knowledge of the current condition of the lowland peat soils and explore whether wetter farming is a viable option.
• Yorkshire Wildlife Trust were awarded £342,000 for a project focused on the technical and economic implications of raising water levels on 7 farms, enabling farmers to make informed decisions about long-term land use.
• Reedness and Swinefleet Internal Drainage Board were awarded £264,000 for a connectivity and hydrological study at the Thorne, Crowle & Goole Moor Peatlands to ensure cross-beneficial needs for both peat restoration and flood management.
• Vale of Pickering Internal Drainage Board were awarded £160,000 to develop a better understanding of the River Hertford catchment in terms of water management, with a view to how IDB operations need to change if re-wetting peatlands were pursued. The four successful IDB projects in the north west will use government funding to look to improve the management of water on lowland peat and enhance understanding of climate change impacts and flood risk.

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