Somerset peatlands awarded funds
New funding announced this morning will see money invested in restoring peatlands in Somerset.
The new government programme has awarded £50m to restore degraded peatland around the UK.
In Somerset money will be put towards restoring 35 hectares at the RSPB’s Greylake reserve on the Somerset Levels. Greylake is near Midflezoy and is a popular reserve for bird watching.
The new project will build on existing work and research on how to restore the degraded peat. That work has been carried out by the Somerset Peat Partnership.
Ultimately the project has an ambition to create a mosaic of functioning peatland habitat. The area supports rare plants such as the Round-leaved Sundew.
87% of England’s peatlands, including lowland peatlands are degraded. As the peatlands dry out, they emit tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
Peatlands contain over half of the country’s terrestrial carbon stores. They also provide a haven for wildlife, and in Somerset supporting play a role in natural flood management.