Dartmoor's peatland restoration – the jewel in the crown of conservation

This week Natural England and Defra unveiled the first detailed England Peat Map, a national inventory of peatland extent, depth and condition. The open-access map is the “most complete map of England’s peatlands to date”. It highlights why peatlands matter: they are “our biggest single store of carbon, they filter most of our fresh water and help defend communities against flooding, and they’re home to irreplaceable plants and wildlife”. The new data reveals a stark reality: roughly 80% of England’s peatlands are now degraded and need urgent action. About three quarters of peatland area is covered by vegetation or land uses (like heather, woodland or even arable land) associated with dry conditions, while only about 1% is dominated by wet-peat plants such as sphagnum moss. The map also exposes thousands of drainage ditches and gullies on upland bogs – clear signs of erosion and drying. These findings give conservationists a precise guide to where to focus restoration.

Dartmoor’s peat: a vital hidden resource

Dartmoor National Park contains some of Devon’s largest and most valuable peat deposits. Scientists estimate that about 15,800 hectares of Dartmoor carry peat over 40 cm deep, storing roughly 13.1 million tonnes of carbon – “probably [the park’s] greatest single asset”. Much of this is in blanket bogs (about 8,500 ha in total on Dartmoor), a globally rare habitat carpeted by sphagnum moss, cotton-grass, sundews and bog asphodel. These wet bogs are key for wildlife: Dartmoor’s bogs host specialist species such as golden plover and breeding dunlin, dragonflies, frogs and beetles. In short, Dartmoor’s peatlands are internationally important for both climate and biodiversity.

Unfortunately much of this peat is damaged. Dartmoor’s bogs have been cut, drained and burned over centuries. Recent surveys suggest only 1–2% of Dartmoor’s deep peat remains actively accumulating. In other words, almost all of Dartmoor’s carbon-rich bog has stopped growing and is slowly oxidising, so cutting erosion gullies and re-wetting the moor is critical.

Restoration in action on Dartmoor

Local initiatives are already racing to heal Dartmoor’s bogs. Dartmoor lies at the core of the South West Peatland Partnership (SWPP), a £13 million collaboration funded through Natural England’s Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme. SWPP brings together Dartmoor National Park Authority, South West Water, the Duchy of Cornwall, the National Trust, wildlife trusts and others to re-wet and repair 2,600 hectares of degraded peat across Dartmoor, Exmoor, Bodmin Moor and West Penwith by 2025. For example, at Ockerton Court on north Dartmoor, restoration crews have been digging in stone and even sheep-wool “pillows” to dam old drainage ditches and gullies. These works have visibly raised water tables on the moor – “suggesting a re-wetting of the peat to prevent further erosion” – so that the bog can eventually begin absorbing carbon again and provide wet habitat for curlew and other wildlife.

Alison Kohler, Dartmoor National Park’s Director of Conservation and Communities, said there would be a multi-faceted payoff: “Peatlands here on Dartmoor could be hugely important locally and nationally in terms of storing carbon… restoration also benefits biodiversity and is a nature-based solution for issues such as flooding and the provision of clean water.” Similarly, Morag Angus, Peatland Projects Manager at South West Water, points out that while Dartmoor’s bogs are “very important for water quality, carbon storage, biodiversity… [and] farming,” they are also “the most vulnerable in the UK to the impacts of climate change”. These expert voices underline why the map’s insights are so timely.

Partnerships and funding

Devon’s peat work is buoyed by major new funding streams. In 2021 Defra’s Nature for Climate Fund awarded £9 million to Dartmoor restoration, to re-wet 931 ha of bog. That project alone is expected to save some 356,000 tonnes of CO₂e over the coming 50 years. Across the region, landowners and NGOs are co-investing too: the Duchy of Cornwall reports already restoring 410 ha of its Dartmoor peat and plans to treat another 809 ha in the current programme. The Duchy has partnered with SWPP and secured contributions from South West Water’s Green Recovery fund, matching Defra support. Dartmoor National Park Authority even employs peat restoration officers (under its Dartmoor Headwaters and Commons projects) to plan works, consult with farmers and commoners, and carry out field repairs.

At the national level, government leaders stress peatlands as a priority. Environment Minister Mary Creagh has dubbed the UK’s peatlands “this country’s Amazon Rainforest” and announced £400 million in nature restoration funding – specifically including peat – as part of the 2023 Environment Improvement Plan. Natural England’s new map itself was funded by Defra’s Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme and the Nature for Climate fund, reflecting a concerted effort to put science behind on-the-ground action.

Benefits of peatland recovery

Restoring Dartmoor’s bogs delivers multiple benefits for people and nature, including:

• Carbon sequestration: Healthy peat locks up carbon, so re-wetting bogs prevents CO₂ emissions. UK analysis finds that every £1 spent on peat restoration returns several times that in climate benefits Natural England notes peatlands are our “biggest natural carbon stores”.

• Biodiversity: Re-wetted bogs revive a specialised ecosystem. Blanket bogs on Dartmoor support sphagnum mosses, cotton-grass and sundews, and breeding birds like golden plover, dunlin and snipe. Restoration expands this rare habitat and its wildlife.

• Water and flood regulation: Intact bogs act like giant sponges – they filter and store rainwater. Restored peatland thus improves drinking-water quality and reduces peak flooding. As Dartmoor National Park notes, healthy bogs “play a key role in supporting wildlife, providing clean water, reducing flooding and storing carbon.” As Kohler and others point out, bog restoration is literally a “nature-based solution” for water security.

These ecosystem services also have economic value. For instance, ONS data suggest billions of pounds of benefits from peatland water supply and carbon retention, far outweighing restoration costs.

Looking ahead

Devon’s peatland campaign is now armed with better tools than ever. The England Peat Map gives local land managers an unprecedented overview of where Dartmoor’s carbon remains locked or lost. As Natural England Chair Tony Juniper says, the map will help “understand [peatlands’] contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, target restoration efforts to the most degraded land, and identify some of the best opportunities for nature recovery”. In practice, that means Devon’s restoration teams can prioritise the bogs that most urgently need blocking and re-wetting. With Natural England and Defra backing and strong local partnerships, Dartmoor’s moorland now stands at the centre of southern England’s peatland revival – a vital effort for climate, wildlife and water in Devon.

To view the map, visit - https://england-peat-map-portal-ncea.hub.arcgis.com/