The future of Britain’s largest lowland peat bogs is looking brighter thanks to new funding from a European cash kitty.
Natural England has confirmed that the LIFE+ programme - the EU’s funding programme for the environment and climate action - has awarded a grant of £2.2 million to support additional conservation management work on the precious lowland raised bog habitat of the Humberhead Peatlands, near Doncaster.
The funding will extend the area of peatbog habitat under active restoration and will help provide a long-term future for the rare plants, birds and insects that have evolved to live on the unique wetland habitat.
Natural England is already carrying out restoration work on its Humberhead Peatlands National Nature Reserve (NNR) which is part of two internationally important sites - Thorne Moors Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Hatfield Moors SAC – which together make up the UK’s largest lowland raised bog complex.
The will help ensure that the peat across the 28 square kilometres of the area is wet enough so that wildlife can thrive.
The project will also enable research and monitoring to be undertaken.