Hare's tail cotton grass at Little Woolden Moss - Credit: A.J.Critch Wildlife
For peat's sake
Deep, dark, soggy, boggy... peatlands are one of our most important, but most overlooked habitats. Whether they are fighting climate change, providing a home for an amazing array of specialised plants and wildlife, filtering our water, or providing natural flood mitigation, here at Lancashire Wildlife Trust we are just potty for peatlands.
Precious peatlands
You might not always realise it, but Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside is full of peatlands. From our upland moors to our lowland mosses these habitats have so much to offer us - but only if they are in good condition.
Healthy peatlands can do so much for us:
🌍 Fight climate change by sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and locking it away in their peaty soils
🦋 Provide a haven for an amazing array of plants and animals
🌊 Act like a giant sponge to soak up rainwater and provide a natural form of flood mitigation
💧 Naturally filter our water
But sadly very few of our peatlands remain in good condition, and when they are drained, dry and degraded they actually end up doing the opposite of all of the above. That's why we are fighting hard for our peatlands; working to re-wet, restore or find new ways to manage our peatlands that both good for us and for the environment.
Go peat-free
One of the most important things we can all do to help save our precious peatlands is to go peat-free in our gardens. Simply by choosing peat-free compost and plants, and by telling retailers that is what you want, you can make your garden wild and wonderful, without destroying another habitat to do it.
Little Woolden Moss near Salford was nearly destroyed when the peat was extracted for use in horticulture, but thanks to the work of our peatlands team it is now a flourishing wildlife haven.
Little Woolden Moss during peat extraction - Credit Matthew Roberts (left) Little Woolden Moss during peat restoration - Credit A.J.Critch Wildlife (right)
Meet our Peatlands Team
Discover Winmarleigh and Cockerham Moss - Lancashire's Peatland Treasure
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Sundews
These tiny carnivorous plants shine out jewel red from our peatland floors, just waiting to catch their insect prey
Wetter farming
Many of our lowland peatlands have been drained and converted to agriculture, however this causes the release of huge amounts of carbon which had previously been stored in the waterlogged peat. Wetter farming, also known as paludiculture, is the process of re-wetting this land and growing crops which thrive in the returned boggy conditions.
Find out more about our wetter farming trails.
Want to find out more?
Catch up with Sarah and Helen from our peatlands team in their episode of our Conservation Chronicles podcast.
One of the new bunding areas on Darwen Moor. Credit - A.J.Critch Wildlife
The beauty of bunds
Bunds are one of our most important tools in the fight to restore our peatlands. These waterproof barriers made of compressed peat help to stop water from draining off our precious peatlands.