Another Successful Moorland Restoration Season (2024-25)
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Another Successful Moorland Restoration Season
As the moorland restoration season draws to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on six months of hard work, wild weather, and remarkable progress.
The figures tell a powerful story of our moorland restoration works in the Peak District.
- Over 1 million sphagnum plugs planted over 6 months
- Moorland restoration works carried out over 800 hectares
- 462 stone dams built across the uplands
- Work carried out on 5 sites across the Peak District National Park
- More than 1,000 person-days spent out on the ground
But beyond the statistics lies a much bigger picture.
The plugs we plant and the dams we build play such a crucial role in the future of our uplands all delivered by a core team of 15 passionate and hardworking staff.
Why We Do It
The UK has lost most of its healthy peatlands, and those that remain are often damaged, releasing carbon, exacerbating flood risks, and losing their ability to support wildlife.
River Stewardship Company, as part of the wider moorland restoration community, are determined to reverse this trend. By restoring sphagnum to these landscapes, we are repairing natural systems, enhancing biodiversity, and building resilience against climate change.
This season’s planting effort has easily been our most ambitious to date, 1 million plugs is a phenomenal achievement, and we are immensely proud of what has been delivered by our dedicated and passionate moorland team.
Why Sphagnum?
Sphagnum moss is a quiet hero of the uplands. Often overlooked, it is a fundamental building block of healthy peat bogs and a key player in the fight against climate change.
Here’s why sphagnum is so important:
- Carbon storage: Sphagnum creates peat, locking away carbon over thousands of years. In fact, peatlands store more carbon than all the world’s forests combined.
- Water management: Acting like a sponge, sphagnum slows down rainfall run-off, helping to reduce flood risk and improve water quality downstream.
- Biodiversity: Sphagnum-rich moorlands support a wide range of species, from upland birds and rare insects to specialised plants thriving in this unique environment.
The thoughts of a Sphagnum Planter
‘We find mosses everywhere – on damp, shady walls and trees, in our lawns, and along footpaths. Yet, among them all, sphagnum moss holds a special place. It is crucial for the health and function of our peat moors, the principal plant in peat formation, and vital for biodiversity and flood management.
Sphagnum mosses not only support healthy ecosystems but also play a key role in carbon storage – locking away more carbon than even the mightiest forests – and managing water flow across the landscape.
However, many of our peatlands are degraded and in need of restoration to reach their full potential. That’s where we come in – the sphagnum planters.
Our team is as diverse as the moors themselves, but whatever our age, gender, or background, we all share a passion for the outdoors and a commitment to seeing it thrive – both for our own enjoyment and for the ecological and environmental benefits planting sphagnum brings.
This is not a shorts and t-shirt job, enjoying the spring sunshine. We are up there through the winter, out of bird nesting season. When the moors are mainly cold, wet, boggy, windy, foggy, misty, snowy, frosty, desolate and at their most unforgiving. But they are also beautiful, stunning, wide-open spaces that provide a sense of freedom and oneness with nature, whether the sun is shining or not (always a bonus when it is). On a clear day you can see for miles with contrasting views of seemingly endless moors and countryside, along with cityscapes and towns. However, the rain, mist and fog also give its own unique atmosphere that can feel ghostly and enhances your senses.’
Steve Edwards, Moorland Restoration team member
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Stone Dams: Building Resilience into the Moors
Alongside sphagnum planting, we made significant progress with our stone dam works – a critical part of managing water flow and protecting the moorland.
In total, we built 462 stone dams across the uplands. Most of the work took place in August, when we completed 374 dams using 509 units of stone. In March, we added a further 88 dams with 474 units of stone, installing some large dams (up to 8 tonnes, across wide gullies.
Altogether, we used 848 stone units, amounting to approximately 636 tonnes of material – all delivered by helicopter.
It’s a huge effort, building resilience by bringing long-lasting benefits such as: slowing the flow of water, reducing erosion, and restoring healthy habitats across the moorland landscape.
Photo Credits: Emily Hoare.
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