Peatlands are incredible wild places, home to a whole host of rare and unusual plants, birds and insects. These wetland landscapes are characterised by waterlogged soils made of dead and decaying plants, called peat. Peat forms at an incredibly slow rate, accumulating on average only 1mm a year - that means it takes 1,000 years for one metre of peat to form! The key component of peat is a moss called sphagnum, which forms multi-coloured carpets across the landscape and breaks down very slowly under the waterlogged conditions.

But peatlands aren't just an important habitat for wildlife, they are also among the most carbon-rich ecosystems on Earth. Occupying 3% of the global land surface and 12% of UK land area, healthy peatlands capture CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Because the plants that grow on peatlands do not fully decompose under wet conditions, they do not release carbon which would otherwise be returned to the atmosphere as CO2. As well as this, peatlands can reduce flood risk by slowing the flow of water from the uplands, and by providing floodplain storage in the lowlands.

In December 2021, a bid coordinated by the Dorset Catchment Partnership to Natural England’s Nature for Climate Peatland Discovery Grant scheme was successful in securing funds of nearly £150,000 to use to investigate and unlock barriers to peat restoration in Dorset, where we have over 150 wet heaths and mires. 

Since then, The Dorset Peat Partnership peatland restoration works delivered over the last three years are looking notably wetter!

Demonstrating resilience to climate change and the extreme weather seen this winter—heavy rainfall followed by an intense heatwave in recent days—the habitats are continuing to hold significant amounts of water. Pooled open water glistens in the sunshine, creating new havens for emerging dragonflies darting across the landscape.

Water movement has been slowed through the creation of natural dams using peat, heather bales, timber and earth bunds. This allows water to spread more widely, keeping surface vegetation waterlogged and encouraging the development of spongy, moss-rich bog conditions.

These wetter habitats are also benefiting wildlife, with ground-nesting birds beginning to settle and new sightings of lapwing recorded, further enhancing biodiversity across the Dorset heaths and mires.

This winter, Dorset Peat Partnership will deliver a further 45 hectares of peatland restoration across Upton Heath, Holt Heath and Slop Bog, helping to rewet and secure these vital habitats for the future.

Our photography volunteers are supporting site monitoring through regular fixed-point photography, helping us to track and record positive changes over time.

We look forward to keeping you updated with the progress of this incredible project.

Dorset Peat Partnership