New restoration season begins on Dartmoor

The South West Peatland Partnership (SWPP) is preparing to launch its 2025/26 restoration season on Dartmoor, with work set to take place across several remote and ecologically significant sites.

The project will focus on repairing damaged hydrology in degraded peatlands by blocking erosion channels that drain water from the moor. This work is designed to reduce carbon loss, improve water quality and create richer habitats for birds, insects and moorland livestock.

Morag Angus, South West Water’s Peatland Partnership Project Manager, said: “This vitally important work helps us to address water quality issues with water entering into reservoirs. It helps to keep more water on the moors and entering into the rivers during drought periods."

George Kohler, SWPP Senior Restoration Officer, stressed the urgency of the work after a year of extreme weather on Dartmoor.
“The past year has shown us how important peatland restoration is. It can’t wait,” he said. “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. 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.”

Work will continue throughout autumn and winter, with teams using specialist low-pressure machinery to access the moor and carry out erosion-blocking measures without damaging the fragile ground.

The restoration also has historical significance. 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.”

Each year, the SWPP aims to restore hundreds of hectares of peat across Dartmoor, Exmoor and Cornwall. The programme is supported by Natural England’s Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme, South West Water, Duchy of Cornwall, Environment Agency and National Trust, alongside local landowners and contractors.