A new bog standard – wetter is better on our moors

The boggier, the better for MOOR WILDLIFE

Alice Learey from the Moors for the Future Partnership reports on how keeping groundwater on the moors for longer is helping Peak District wildlife and increasing biodiversity.

Thanks to the unique habitat of blanket bog, the Peak District moors are home to a wonderful array of upland animals and plants. From the lilting call of the curlew that conjures images of the rolling moors to the silent cotton-grass that blows in the wind signalling the start of spring, these moorland specialists – and many others – rely on a boggy, waterlogged habitat in order to survive, and thrive.

Blanket bogs are the wetlands cloaking the tops of the moors; their distinctive waterlogged conditions provide a unique habitat. Over 200 years of historic air pollution from the industrial revolution and wild fires, both historical and more recent, have led to the blanket bog in the Peak District being degraded and dried out on a massive scale. Large areas of previously healthy blanket bog became vast expanses of bare peat, stripped of the living bog layer of plants. Despite the work of the Moors for the Future Partnership (MFFP), whose lead partner is the Peak District National Park Authority, to restore these areas of bare peat, there is still much to be done for these areas to support wildlife – in particular, to re-wet the moors. Without these fundamental boggy conditions, the peatlands struggle to support the moorlands’ unique plant and wildlife.

Enhancing the habitat will support an intricate web of plant and wildlife

A MFFP project is currently underway to enhance the blanket bog habitat. The Building Blocks Project – Next Steps in Gully Blocking will raise the water level in the peat by blocking gullies. Gullies are channels in the bare peat created through erosion that funnel water from the moors and dry out the bogs. The gullies can be as much as four metres deep; these drain the peat and dry it out. MFFP will map out priority locations for 100,000 mini dams (also known as gullyblocks) across the Peak District and South Pennines to support moorland species. Enhancing the habitat will support an intricate web of plant and wildlife, from the crowberry to the green hairstreak butterfly to the short-eared owl. Work to install the first lot of mini-dams will start this year, with 1,000 due to be installed in 2020 across the Peak District.

Native moorland plants rely on waterlogged conditions and are integral for the survival of many moorland insects, some even lending their name to species – such as the bilberry bumblebee. The mini-dams will allow water to pool and offer moorland plants the right conditions to establish, encouraging native bog species like

sphagnum moss, cotton-grass, crowberry and bilberry to grow and support upland specialists (like bilberry bumblebee). The bilberry bumblebee is largely found in areas above 300m elevation and is associated with the plants found there – bilberry, cranberry and cowberry. Wetter conditions will enable these native moorland plant species to flourish, and in turn provide much needed sustenance for upland insects. The black darter, in particular, is found in and around peat bog pools.

These striking insects are important in their own right but they support other wildlife too. In spring, wading birds such as dunlin, curlew and golden plover return to nest on blanket bogs and raise their young. The insects supported by the pools of water are an essential source of protein for their chicks. The blanket bog provides an important, and unique, breeding habitat for these migratory birds during their summer breeding season.

Upland specialist species, from the moorland dwarf-shrubs to the mountain hare to the birds of prey that soar through the upland skies, all rely on a waterlogged, boggy habitat to thrive.

Wildife watch Be on the lookout for these moorland specialists: • Invertebrates (white faced darter, bilberry bumblebee and green hairstreak) • Waders (curlew/ dunlin) • Birds of Prey (short-eared owl) • Mammals (mountain hare)

A green hairstreak butterfly.

What are gully blocks? Gully blocks are essentially mini dams, placed in the gullies that have been formed on the moor by water that has carved large channels into the bare peat. Gully blocking traps water and sediment, this slows the flow of water and raises the water table.

Water flowing over top of dam runs onto water, not onto peat or mineral, reducing the risk of undercutting

Top of downstream dam is level with or above bottom of upstream dam, ensuring water fills entire section between dams

Spacing of dams

A mountain hare in its winter coat.

Did you know? • The Peak District is the only place in England where you can see a mountain hare. Visit the moorland areas for your best chance of spotting a mountain hare.

• Sphagnum moss is able to hold up to 20 times its weight in water. It acts as a sponge that enables native plant bog species to flourish thanks to the wetter conditions.

Glossary Peat – Dead remains of plants, including sphagnum moss, pile up and get pressed together to eventually form the soil we know as peat. Peat forms at a very slow rate: 1mm per year, or 1 metre per millennium. Peatland – The term peatland refers to the peat soil and the wetland habitat growing on its surface. Water table – The water table is the level of water in the ground. In blanket bog, the water table should be very high with the water stored in the peat to a level that is at, or very near, to the surface. Blanket bog – Bogs are areas of land where a layer of peat has accumulated naturally and is kept wet by rain, snow and fog. A healthy and ‘active’ blanket bog is one that is forming peat. Bogs are an important and extensive wildlife habitat in the UK. The term blanket bog comes from the way the peat layer blankets the ground.

You can find out more about moorland wildlife and MFFP’s work at www.moorsforthefuture.org.uk