Peat moorlands cover less than 3 per cent of the land surface of the Earth yet they contain twice as much carbon as the world’s forests. Peat is the single biggest store of carbon in the UK, storing the equivalent of 20 years of all UK CO2 emissions and keeping it out of the atmosphere.

The picture above shows the Black Hill in 2008 and on the left is the same view in 2004.

Three billion tonnes of carbon are stored in UK peat - more than in the forests of Britain and France combined. 20 million tonnes of this is in the Peak District.

Healthy peat moors absorb and store carbon, provide good quality drinking water and help reduce the likelihood of flooding.

However, more than 150 years of industrial pollution has damaged peat moorland and the peat which is already in poor condition is unable to withstand the predicted extremes of future weather which will erode much of it into our rivers and reservoirs reducing the amount of carbon-and-water-absorbing peat and polluting the rivers.

Moors for the Future is working within the Peak District National Park and beyond to restore large areas of peat moorland to a healthy, living and sustainable state so that it can once again fulfil its key role in mitigating climate change. The ‘MoorLife’ project aims to restore more than 2,000 acres of Peak District and South Pennine moorland.

www.peakdistrict.gov.uk