Natural England are in a bit of a mess over the uplands – you might say they have been bogged down.
NE had to dump their vision for the uplands of England because landowners – perhaps including their Minister at the time (Richard Benyon) – didn’t like it. They went back to basics and looked again at the evidence behind the impacts of management regimes on upland habitats. They are consulting on their draft guidance now.
The UK holds 9-15% of Europe’s peatland, and c15% of the world’s blanket bog, so we had better not harm it.
I quote from the draft guidance on the restoration of blanket bog and the effects of managed burning on peatlands.
Natural England:
- considers that all blanket bogs and other peatlands have the potential to be restored
- concludes that burning on blanket bog has a range of impacts which are overall negative and should therefore be phased out
- recognises that there are a range of activities that have resulted in degradation of blanket bog and the process of eliminating the impacts will, in some circumstances be gradual. We will work with customers and partners to agree a process by which the activities, including burning on blanket bog, are reduced and ceased.
This sounds OK in a mealy-mouthed sort of a way. What it means is that NE should get back to telling land owners of SSSIs that they can’t burn blanket bogs on SSSIs.
If the Brazilian government came to the astounding conclusion that chopping down trees was bad for tropical rainforests and then said that it might take ages but that they would work with customers and partners (lumberjacks!) to agree a process by which rainforest destruction could cease (but it may take a while!) then we’d be tut-tutting at them.
Burning blanket bogs harms them. So let’s stop! If we stop burning blanket bogs then we can restore an internationally important carbon-storing habitat. If we carry on burning blanket bogs then who benefits? Only the Hen Harrier-destroying industry of driven grouse shooting.
It’s really not very complicated is it? Well done to the National Trust for moving in this direction in the Peak District. Well done to Natural England for coming full circle back to almost where it was a few years ago!
What is happening on Walshaw Moor?
[registration_form]
Just wondering how many landowners receive payments for blanket bog SSSIs and operate burning as a management practice?
How many of these are also grouse moors?
Its not just hen harriers that the grouse industry destroys…you could have golden eagles on those Uplands but they never get a chance to settle..on both sides of the Pennines/Southern Uplands Border..
Also..while you’re looking at an ideal restored uplands remember to reforest the drier Uplands…not least to ameliorate some of the flooding and erosion you’re getting…
Don’t see it happening while the conservation agencies are lead by short term thinking politicians – both Tory and Labour in the recent past – who are in the thrall of the traditional landowners with their blinkered Victorian outlook on land management.
Hear hear…..give us our biodiversity back.
Once the burning stops it will take hundreds of years till proper restoration levels are achieved. But imagine patches of dwarf birch and juniper scrub all over the Penines