Moorland Management Glossary: Definitions & Key Terms

Rob Beeson
1 day ago
5 min read

The UK’s moorlands are unique, globally rare habitats that provide clean water, carbon storage, and a home for precious wildlife. However, the science behind managing these landscapes can be complex, often filled with technical jargon and scientific terminology.

We created this glossary to bridge that gap. Explore the terms below to understand the techniques we use - from peatland restoration to predator control - to keep these iconic landscapes thriving for future generations.

Controlled Burning (Muirburn)

Controlled burning, often called muirburn, is a traditional management technique used to regenerate heather and reduce the risk of damaging wildfires. Managers burn small patches of older, woody heather in a strictly controlled "cool burn" that removes the canopy but does not damage the moss or soil beneath. This encourages fresh shoots to grow, providing nutritious food for red grouse and livestock while creating a diverse habitat structure for wildlife.

Wildfire Mitigation

Wildfire mitigation refers to the proactive steps taken to prevent devastating, hot wildfires that burn deep into the peat. If vegetation (fuel) is allowed to grow too long and dry, a spark from a barbecue or lightning can cause an uncontrollable blaze. Managers use controlled burning and cutting to create "firebreaks" and reduce the amount of dry fuel, protecting the carbon stored in the peat.

Rewetting

Rewetting is a conservation strategy used to raise the water table within a peatland. By blocking old drains and gullies, managers trap rainwater on the moor rather than letting it run off quickly. This makes the ground soggier, which is essential for peat-forming plants like sphagnum moss to thrive. Rewetting stops the peat from drying out, oxidizing, and releasing carbon into the atmosphere, but does have limitations as a sole wildfire mitigation strategy.

Grip Blocking

"Grips" are man-made drainage ditches that were dug across moorlands in the mid-20th century to improve the land for farming. Grip blocking is the process of damming these ditches using peat, stone, or timber. This stops water from draining away, helping to rewet the surrounding land, restore natural bog conditions, and reduce soil erosion that can cloud river water.

Peatland Restoration

Peatland restoration involves repairing damaged peat bogs to return them to a wet, healthy state. In the past, government policies encouraged draining these areas for agriculture. Today, restoration work reverses this by blocking old drainage ditches and planting distinct bog vegetation. A restored peatland actively removes carbon from the atmosphere, filters drinking water, and provides a crucial home for unique plants and insects.

Carbon Sequestration

Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it to prevent it from contributing to climate change. Healthy, wet peatlands are the UK’s single most important natural carbon store, holding more carbon than all the forests in the UK, France, and Germany combined. Management practices that keep peat wet and vegetated are essential for maximizing this natural climate service.

Blanket Bog

Blanket bog is a rare type of habitat that forms a "blanket" of peat over the landscape, occurring only in cool, wet climates like the UK uplands. It is globally significant and supports specialized wildlife that cannot survive elsewhere. Healthy blanket bogs are always wet and are dominated by mosses rather than grasses. Preserving and restoring these areas is a top priority for moorland managers.

Gamekeeper

A gamekeeper is a skilled professional responsible for managing the wildlife and habitat on a moor. Their year-round work includes maintaining heather, repairing peatlands, controlling abundant predators, and monitoring bird populations. While their traditional role focuses on grouse, modern gamekeepers are effectively full-time conservation rangers who play a vital role in protecting upland biodiversity and preventing wildlife crime.

Predator Control

Predator control is the legal and targeted management of abundant generalist predators, such as crows, stoats, and foxes. This is done to protect vulnerable ground-nesting birds like curlew, lapwing, and red grouse during their breeding season. By reducing the number of predators during these critical months, gamekeepers ensure that rare birds have a much higher chance of successfully hatching their eggs and rearing their chicks.

SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest)

A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is a formal conservation designation given to areas of land that are of particular interest because of their rare wildlife, geology, or plants. A large proportion of England’s grouse moors are designated SSSIs. Owners of these sites work closely with Natural England to ensure management practices protect and enhance the special features for which the site was designated.

Natural Capital

Natural Capital is a term used to describe the stock of natural resources - like soil, water, air, and living things - that provide benefits to people. For moorlands, this includes clean drinking water, carbon storage, flood protection, and biodiversity. Moorland managers view the land not just as a habitat, but as a valuable asset that provides these essential "ecosystem services" to society.

Bracken Control

Bracken is an aggressive, fern-like plant that can quickly take over moorland, smothering heather and other delicate plants. It offers poor habitat for most ground-nesting birds and harbours ticks. Managers control bracken through cutting, rolling, or targeted herbicide application. Keeping bracken in check maintains the open purple moorland landscape and preserves the biodiversity of the heath and bog environments.

Biodiversity Net Gain

Biodiversity Net Gain is a strategy in development and land management that aims to leave the natural environment in a measurably better state than it was before. On moorlands, this means management activities should not just maintain current wildlife levels but actively increase the variety and abundance of plants and animals.

Heather (Calluna vulgaris)

Heather, specifically Ling Heather (Calluna vulgaris), is the dwarf shrub that gives moorlands their iconic purple colour in late summer. It is an evergreen plant that provides essential shelter and food for red grouse, mountain hares, and deer. It also supports a vast array of pollinators, including bees. Management aims to keep heather in a mix of ages, from young nutritious shoots to old, bushy shelter.

Sphagnum Moss

Sphagnum moss is often described as the "building block" of peat bogs. It acts like a giant natural sponge, capable of holding up to 20 times its own weight in water. This ability helps slow down rainfall runoff, reducing flood risk downstream. As layers of sphagnum die and are compressed over thousands of years without rotting (due to the wet conditions), they eventually form peat, locking away carbon.

Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

The Hen Harrier is a rare bird of prey known for its acrobatic "skydancing" display. It nests on the ground in heather moorlands. Historically there has been conflict between harrier conservation and grouse management, but today, initiatives like the Brood Management Scheme aim to find a balance where sustainable populations of harriers can coexist alongside thriving driven grouse moors.

Curlew (Numenius arquata)

The Eurasian Curlew is the UK’s largest wading bird, easily recognized by its long, curved beak and haunting call. The UK holds a significant percentage of the global breeding population, but numbers are in decline. Managed moorlands are currently some of the safest strongholds for curlews because the habitat is maintained to suit them, and predator control prevents foxes and crows from eating their eggs.

Wading Birds (Waders)

Wading birds, or waders, are a group of birds found in the uplands during spring and summer to breed. This group includes species like lapwing, golden plover, curlew, and snipe. They require open landscapes with mixed vegetation heights to hide their nests and chicks. Research consistently shows that waders breed more successfully on managed grouse moors compared to unmanaged moorland due to the reduction in predation.

Heather Beetle (Lochmaea suturalis)

The heather beetle is a naturally occurring insect that feeds on the leaves of heather plants. While usually present in low numbers, they can experience massive population outbreaks that strip heather bare, turning vast areas of moorland reddish-brown and killing the plants. Moorland managers monitor these outbreaks closely because the damage destroys the habitat and food source for grouse, insects, and other moorland wildlife.