Dorset Peat Partnership

Sphagnum

Grace Herve / Sphagnum 

Dorset Peat Partnership

Who we are

Dorset Peat Partnership is a subgroup of the Dorset Catchment Partnerships, hosted by Dorset Wildlife Trust who employ the Dorset Peat Project Manager. The key project partners include Natural England, Environment Agency, Forestry England, BCP Council, National Trust, RSPB and one private landowner, including links with the following organisations: Dorset AONB Partnership, Bournemouth University, Dorset Council and the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust.

Dorset Peat Partnership logos

Dorset Peat Partnership 

Why we formed

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. 

The key objective for the partnership was to develop restoration plans for sites which had the best feasibility to deliver restoration by 2025 and make a further application for future restoration grant funding to the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme in 2023.  

Due to fragmentation of our habitats caused by land use change for development, forestry, agriculture, farming most of our sites are highly degraded and in poor condition as they have been impacted by drainage. This has disrupted the natural hydrological system of our wetland habitats making them much drier and less capable of forming peat and extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.  

The following video illustrates the human interventions which have been carried out on our peatland habitats nationally and the importance of needing to reverse them, both to restore the peatland habitat and to reduce our emissions of carbon dioxide which contributes to the build-up of greenhouse gases and global warming.

Dorset Peat Partnership: Plans to restore Dorset's Precious Peat

Watch the short video below to hear about Dorset's peatland mires, why they are important and the ambition of the Dorset Peat Partnership to restore these precious habitats.

James Burland

Slow the Flow: The power of peat

As well as locking up carbon, peatland can also help to reduce the impact of the effects of climate change, such as flooding, for humans and for wildlife.

Peatlands are extremely effective at holding large amounts of water and during periods of high or heavy rainfall they can also slow the flow of the water, helping to protect communities further downstream from the risk of flooding. 

Damaged peatlands become less capable of holding the same amount of water as a fully functional peat habitat. Areas that contain drains actually speed up the flow of water. This means that during high rainfall events, water isn’t held back and released slowly but flows immediately into rivers, increasing the flooding risk downstream.

Watch the short film below, produced by Environment Agency and Cumbria Wildlife Trust, explaining how we can slow the flow and help defend our communities and wildlife from the negative effects of flood water. 

Environment Agency / Cumbria Wildlife Trust 

 

 

Where and how will we restore peat in Dorset?

The Discovery Grant site investigations carried out by the Dorset Peat Partnership identified 16 future sites to restore across Dorset  totalling 172 hectares.  

The site locations can also be viewed spatially via the Dorset Peat Partnership GIS Dashboard link here

The key objective of the restoration works will be to rewet the habitats by holding water on the site. The restoration techniques which we are proposing to use are simple low impact techniques: 

  • Peat dams 

  • Surface cell bunding (creation of peat bunds, coir bunding) 

  • Permeable timber dams  

  • Scrub/tree removal, flailing of dominant Purple Moor grass (Molinia

  • Forest smoothing to remove ridge and furrow 

  • Revegetation (on bare peat with Sphagnum plugs) 

The works will be undertaken by experienced wetland contractors who will need to use specialised low ground pressure machinery on our sensitive sites to minimise ground damage.  

 

When will restoration happen?

The Dorset Peat Partnership were successful with their restoration grant application and have secured £750,000 of restoration grant funding from the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme which was announced by DERFA on 26 August 2023. 

The restoration works will start this autumn, the year one works will be carried out between October 2023 and March 2024, and will include some initial site access preparations, tree removal plus some first phase restoration interventions on two sites.  

All remaining sites will have their works phased across year two (April 2024- March 2025), with full restoration and delivery being completed within the operational works timeframe.  

Why are Dorset's peatlands so important?

Dorset's peatlands are a mosaic of rich and diverse wetland habitats, bogs, mires and fen spread across our lowland heath habitats. They are internationally recognised for their ecological significance which include Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI’s), Special Protection Areas (SPA’s), RAMSAR and National Nature Reserve (NNR) status. These landscapes are homes to migratory birds, rare damselflies, amphibians and reptiles, special carnivorous plants like the sundew and insects like the raft spider who rely on the condition of these wet mire heath habitats to survive. 

How can I get involved in the project?

  • Spread the word about peat and the benefits it has for carbon, water, wildlife, and communities - whether you are out on the heaths, in a classroom, or posting on  social media.
  • Volunteer yourself or encourage your networks to get involved with supporting us with our monitoring and data collection programmes across our sixteen peat restoration sites in Dorset. 

If you would like more information, please contact the Dorset Peat Partnership by emailing Grace Herve gherve@dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

Year one restoration

Forestry England are working at Whitesheet to restore the mire and wetlands.

Whitesheet, and the adjacent Holt Heath, are important places for nature. Their mix of rare habitats are home to many rare species of wildlife including reptiles, ground nesting birds, and insects including the extremely rare heath grasshopper and large marsh grasshopper.

This area’s importance to nature conservation is recognised with the highest possible designations and level of protection. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Area for Conservation, a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area for birds.

Historically the area had plantation trees and drainage ditches which were drying out and damaging the wetlands. Forestry England has removed the trees to help rewet the area. Through the Dorset Peat Partnership, Forestry England is now working to further enhance the area by protecting peatlands within the mire system from drying out.

The works started in November 2023 and will take a year to complete. The first stage is to remove small self-seeded trees that are drying out the peatland. This will be followed in late summer next year with a programme of ditch blocking and molinia cutting to help to restore this area’s ability to hold and store water.

Restoring these wet areas will not only help wildlife by creating the right conditions they need to breed and thrive, but also store greater amounts of carbon and ensure the area is better able to cope with the impacts of climate change and extremes of weather conditions.

See the Whitesheet restoration plan map here. 

The Dorset Peat Partnership has also been working to restore Greenlands and Agglestone Mire and Oakers Bog. In the video below, the Dorset Peat partners share an update on their work and the process of restoring peat. 

Dorset Peat Partnership's work at Greenlands & Agglestone Mire and Oakers Bog

Interested to know more?