Millionth Sphagnum Moss milestone at Dove Stone

In a milestone achievement, Dove Stone in the Peak District National Park is celebrating the planting of one million sphagnum moss plants by a team mostly made up of dedicated volunteers.  

The RSPB has been planting sphagnum moss, in partnership with landowner United Utilities, since taking over restoration of the site in 2010. 

This is part of an initiative currently funded by Defra's Nature for Climate Peatland Restoration Grant at Dove Stone, including match funding by the RSPB and United Utilities. 

Sphagnum moss is a vital plant in the fight against climate change.

The plants are the building blocks of peat bogs and are vital for creating a healthy ecosystem, to support wildlife and store large amounts of water.

It also acts as a natural filter for the water entering the reservoir chain below the moors.  

Peatland covers around 12% of land in the UK and stores over 3 billion tonnes of carbon, however, over 80% of it is degraded. 

Sphagnum moss helps peat stay wet and hold water, making it resilient against fire as well as slowing the flow of water from upland areas during times of heavy rain.

As summers continue to become warmer and drier, the risk of fire and drought greatly increases.  

A local volunteer said: “It’s been incredibly rewarding being part of the team that has planted one million sphagnum moss plants at Dove Stone.

"Every plant may be small but it’s a big step towards restoring the peat in our fight against climate change. 

“This is our local spot, so it feels really special to be helping our local nature and there is always a great community spirit. 

“There’s always a chance for more people to come along and volunteer, as we’re never short of needing helping hands.” 

Kate Hanley, Site Manager at Dove Stone, said: “The planting of the millionth Sphagnum moss is a celebration of all the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in the project, especially our volunteers. 

“The internationally important blanket bog at Dove Stone took around 10,000 years to develop but has been degraded over the last 200 years.

"Reaching this milestone is an incredible step in restoring healthy peat bogs to lock away carbon, reduce fire and flood risk, and create an amazing place for nature and people to explore." 

Ed Lawrance, Catchment Partnership Officer for United Utilities, said: “This is a fantastic milestone for the partnership to hit at Dove Stone. 

"As well as helping to reduce fire and flood risk, it plays an important part in helping to improve the water quality coming off the catchment and into our reservoirs. 

“I’d like to thank all the volunteers and teams involved in helping to get us to this point.”  

The planting project will resume again in August, after a short break over the spring and summer months.  

To find out more about Dove Stone, please click here 

To find out more about the RSPB, visit: rspb.org.uk/ 

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