26th March 2012
The Moorland Association is delighted that one of the 12 Nature Improvement Areas that has attracted funding for landscape-scale restoration is an upland area and congratulates the varied organisation that makes up the Partnership on its success.
The Dark Peak Nature Improvement Area covers 25,000 hectares of the Peak District National Park, including 5,800 hectares of designated moorland. The Partnership plan to regenerate 2,100 Ha of heather moorland and it will carry out restoration of blanket bog at several sites. Bringing back heather that has been lost since the mid 1900’s is the key aim of the Moorland Association and this project will help towards the Association’s ambitious target of regenerating 100,000 Hectares across England and Wales.
With the improvement of the key habitat in place, it is hoped that declining priority moorland species in the Dark Peak NIA will stabilise and increase. Moorland Association members manage 22,000 Ha of moorland in the Peak District and have proven that integrated moorland management – which balances grazing, heather management, predator control and amenity access – provides a win-win scenario for the landscape, wildlife, visitors, climate change mitigation and the rural economy. We hope that our experience and knowledge will be called upon to help shape the long-term management plan of the NIA.
The NIA is a partnership of nine varied organisations – namely, the RSPB, Sheffield City Council, Moors for the Future, United Utilities, Sheffield Wildlife Trust, Peak District National Park Authority, British Mountaineering Council, National Trust and Natural England.
