Peatland restoration resumes on Dartmoor as partnership launches new season of work

A new season of peatland restoration is underway on Dartmoor, as the South West Peatland Partnership (SWPP) begins its 2025/26 programme to restore and protect one of the UK’s most important natural landscapes.

This year’s work will focus on several remote sites across Dartmoor, where teams will repair damaged peatland by restoring natural hydrology and blocking erosion channels that drain water off the moors. The work aims to reduce carbon loss, improve water quality, and enhance habitats for birds and insects that depend on peat bogs.

George Kohler, SWPP senior restoration officer, said the urgency of the work has never been clearer:

“The past year has shown us how important peatland restoration is. It can’t wait. Fires on peatlands, and record-breaking rainfall over short periods combined with long periods of dry weather all take their toll.
“We need to get Dartmoor’s peatlands as healthy and resilient to the changing climate as we can now, to benefit us all in the coming years. More and more research continues to show how peat bogs are a crucial habitat in need of restoration.
“This work improves wildlife habitat, helps to store water, reduces erosion and carbon loss into streams and rivers, and provides water sources for moorland livestock.
“Working through the Autumn and Winter helps us to protect nesting bird species. We’re well prepared for the weather that a Dartmoor winter throws our way. You may spot our specialised low-pressure machines out on the moor this season, helping to stop ongoing erosion and crucially hold back water to raise that water table in the peat.”

The work is also vital for preserving Dartmoor’s archaeological and cultural record.

Martin Gillard, SWPP Historic Environment Officer, explained:

“Healthy peat keeps a record of human interactions with our environment and the climate dating back over thousands of years; if we let the peat dry out or erode away, we risk losing that information.
“In my role working with SWPP project officers and contractors I ensure that historic features are protected during the restoration works and carry out or commission surveys and studies that add to our knowledge of Dartmoor and its peatlands.”

The South West Peatland Partnership aims to restore hundreds of hectares of degraded peat each year across Dartmoor, Exmoor and Cornwall. The programme contributes to national peatland restoration targets and delivers benefits for climate resilience, biodiversity, water quality and farming.

The project is delivered in collaboration with local contractors, landowners and organisations, with support from Natural England’s Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme, South West Water, the Duchy of Cornwall, the Environment Agency and the National Trust.