Despite mosslands being a vital part of our heritage and listed as a UK Priority Habitat, they are hugely undervalued and regarded as wastelands to be exploited for peat. Mossland once covered large areas of our region, but today 99% of the resource has been destroyed with only 300 hectares of intact mossland habitat remaining.
Why Are Mosslands So Important?
Not only are mosslands a key habitat for endangered and rare species, but they also have the ability to store carbon dioxide. In an age where Climate Change issues are rife, mosslands hold the key to many concerns.
What Does The Mosslands Project Aim To Achieve?
The Mosslands Project has four main aims:
1. To provide a major contribution to national and local Biodiversity Action
Plan targets for mossland conservation through purchase and restoration of key sites.
2. To provide a significant and cost effective contribution to carbon sequestration through restoration of degraded sites and prevention of major carbon loss through peat extraction.
3. To challenge the current practice of peat extraction by demonstrating the benefits of mosslands conservation.
4. To campaign for, and raise awareness of alternatives to peat.
"In terms of global habitat importance, this is our rainforest"
Mick Weston - Head of Operations, The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside
Our Work With Mosslands
Our work in restoring and maintaining a mossland is crucial to this magnificent habitat. In order to extract peat, the land is drained and so the first stage in restoring a mossland is to re-wet. This is done by several process of land management including the building of dams to raise the water levels and begin the restoration process.
Take a closer look at our mossland sites:
Saving Our Mosslands
One of the key aims of the mosslands project is to protect the remaining habitats in the North West from being destroyed for:
- Peat for horticulture
- Drainage and conversion to agriculture
- Forestry
- Land development
By purchasing key mossland sites, we can protect them from destruction, and restore them to a healthy Living Landscape that will benefit both people and wildlife.
Natural Carbon Capture – A Scheme For Businesses
As a business you can fund the North West’s degraded mosses back to health, balancing out your unavoidable CO2 emissions and knowing your carbon gain.
Click here to find out more about our Natural Carbon Capture Scheme.
