1. General information
2. Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
-The main objective of the MoorLIFE project was to protect 1600ha of active blanket bog in the South Pennine Moors by reducing erosion on adjacent degraded peatland. To achieve this, the project aimed to restore 862ha of active blanket bog through stabilisation, diversification and gully blocking.
-To ensure the future sustainability of the blanket bog, the project also aimed to carry out wildfire mitigation actions while also raising public awareness of wildfire risk and restoration.
-The final objective was to develop knowledge and understanding by effective communication to practitioners and policymakers. The project emphasised the importance of fully-functioning upland moorlands in providing a range of ecosystem services, such as clean drinking water, carbon capture and storage to mitigate climate change, recreation, and flood mitigation, through which important socio-economic benefits are derived from the MoorLIFE project’s activities. (3, 13)
-To ensure the future sustainability of the blanket bog, the project also aimed to carry out wildfire mitigation actions while also raising public awareness of wildfire risk and restoration.
-The final objective was to develop knowledge and understanding by effective communication to practitioners and policymakers. The project emphasised the importance of fully-functioning upland moorlands in providing a range of ecosystem services, such as clean drinking water, carbon capture and storage to mitigate climate change, recreation, and flood mitigation, through which important socio-economic benefits are derived from the MoorLIFE project’s activities. (3, 13)
Quantitative targets
- 200,000 plugs of plants through the method of micro-propagation to increase biodiversity (included cloudberry, hare's-tail cotton grass, common cotton grass, bilberry, crowberry, cross-leaved heath) (13)
- Protect the 1600ha of active blanket bog in the South Pennine Moors (by reducing the erosion on adjacent degraded peatland)
- Restore 862ha of active blanket bog (through stabilisation, diversification and gully blocking) (3)
- Protect the 1600ha of active blanket bog in the South Pennine Moors (by reducing the erosion on adjacent degraded peatland)
- Restore 862ha of active blanket bog (through stabilisation, diversification and gully blocking) (3)
Monitoring indicators defined
- Increase and stabalise the ha area of active blanket bog (see above) (3)
- Increase biodiversity through new vegetation planted (see above)
- Reduce the amount of bare peat (13)
- Increase biodiversity through new vegetation planted (see above)
- Reduce the amount of bare peat (13)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Please specify "other Habitats and biodiversity conservation activity"
Wildfire mitigation (3, 13)
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What types of conservation goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?
Implementation activities
The duration of the project (reference: LIFE08 NAT/UK/000202) lasted from 01-APR-2010 to 31-AUG -2015. (3) Bare peat areas on the site were re-stabilised by installing 52 km's of geotextiles and helicoptering in 11,000 bags of heather cuttings (brash) and spreading them, to re-establish plant growth. To kick-start, the re-vegetation process, 1,900 tonnes of lime (3000 in total) and fertiliser was applied and 22 tonnes of grass and heather seeds sown (43 in total). Additionally, 150,000 moorland plants such as bilberry and cotton grass were introduced, as well as a futher 30,000 plug plants and 807 million fragments of Sphagnum. As part of the gully blocking exercise, 4,000 dams were installed. (12)
3. NBS domains, ES and scale
4. Governance and financing
5. Innovation
Type of innovation
Please specify technological innovation
The project emphasised the importance of fully-functioning upland moorlands in providing a range of ecosystem services, such as clean drinking water, carbon capture and storage to mitigate climate change, recreation, and flood mitigation, through which important socio-economic benefits are derived from the MoorLIFE project’s activities. (3, 13)
Novelty level of the innovation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
Because of past industrial pollution, the Sphagnum mosses which form the peat of the project area were virtually eradicated. Therefore, innovative new methods of reintroducing them were developed during the course of the project. Eleven species of Sphagnum mosses were propagated using the same micro-propagation techniques used for growing plug plants. They were chopped into fragments and spread in one of the following ways:
• Where wide-scale application was needed they were placed in a protective bead (propagule) and applied directly onto the peat. It takes two to three years for the fragments to become established.
• Another wide-scale technique was trialled using bigger fragments of Sphagnum suspended in a nutrient-rich gel which was sprayed from a backpack. It is hoped that these fragments will become established quicker.
• Where a targeted approach was required, the fragments were grown in a greenhouse as plugs which formed mini-hummocks that were planted out by hand. (13)
• Where wide-scale application was needed they were placed in a protective bead (propagule) and applied directly onto the peat. It takes two to three years for the fragments to become established.
• Another wide-scale technique was trialled using bigger fragments of Sphagnum suspended in a nutrient-rich gel which was sprayed from a backpack. It is hoped that these fragments will become established quicker.
• Where a targeted approach was required, the fragments were grown in a greenhouse as plugs which formed mini-hummocks that were planted out by hand. (13)
Replicability/Transferability
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
The project undertook the first carbon audit of moorland conservation works and the toolkit developed, including methodology, is available for use by other projects. New ways of Sphagnum application were developed for use in different situations. Continuing monitoring will provide vital information to inform best practice, and thus inform the further replicability/transferability of the project's methodology. (13) Meanwhile the MoorLIFE 2020 follows this previous LIFE funded 2010-2015 MoorLIFE Project. After five years, this has revegetated nearly 900 hectares of bare peat to protect about 2, 500 hectares of Active Blanket Bog (roughly the size of 3,500 football pitches); the follow-up MoorLIFE project aims to handle the remaining issues in protecting Active Blanket Bog. (2)
