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| England Peat Action Plan | |
|---|---|
| Name | England Peat Action Plan |
| Jurisdiction | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
| Established | 2023 |
| Policy area | Peatland restoration, Environmental policy |
| Related | England, United Kingdom, Cumbria, Northumberland |
England Peat Action Plan
The England Peat Action Plan is a national policy framework introduced in 2023 by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to restore and manage peatlands across England, aligning with targets set at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Glasgow Climate Pact, COP26 and commitments from the Convention on Biological Diversity. The plan links peat restoration with commitments made under the Environment Act 2021, the Nature Recovery Network, the UK Climate Change Act 2008 and partnership initiatives involving Natural England, the National Trust, RSPB, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and regional conservation bodies.
Peatlands in regions such as Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors, Peak District, Moorland of Dartmoor, and The Broads have been degraded through historic practices associated with Somerset Levels drainage, heather burning traditions tied to the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, and past management influenced by policies from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Scientific assessments by institutions including the Met Office Hadley Centre, the British Geological Survey, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and universities such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Durham University and University of Leeds highlighted peatlands as carbon stores and biodiversity refugia similar to research from IPCC reports and analyses by the Committee on Climate Change. Political drivers include commitments made at the G7 Summit, pressure from NGOs like Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace UK, WWF-UK and advocacy by MPs across parties including representatives from constituencies in Cumbria, Northumberland, Derbyshire and Devon.
The plan sets explicit targets to halt peat degradation and achieve measurable rewetting and restoration milestones consistent with the Paris Agreement and guidance from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Objectives reference national biodiversity aims under the Environment Act 2021, emissions reductions aligned with the UK Net Zero Strategy and water quality improvements echoing standards in the Water Framework Directive implementation overseen by Environment Agency and Ofwat. Quantitative targets include hectares to be restored by dates coordinated with the Nature Recovery Network timetable and funding commitments linked to schemes managed by Environment Agency, Natural England and the Rural Payments Agency.
The plan covers upland and lowland peat across administrative areas including Lake District National Park, Northumberland National Park, Peak District National Park, Exmoor National Park, and non-designated landscapes in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cornwall. It spans peat types catalogued by the British Geological Survey and mapped in inventories maintained by Natural England and partners like the Wildlife Trusts. The spatial scope coordinates with regional initiatives such as the Moorland Association, the Yorkshire Peat Partnership, the Northern Upland Chain and landscape-scale work in the South West Peatlands Project.
Policy instruments combine regulatory measures under statutes like the Environment Act 2021 with incentive schemes modelled on agri-environment payments administered by the Rural Payments Agency, and capital grants administered by Natural England and trusts including the Heritage Lottery Fund and private funders such as the Wellcome Trust and Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. Interventions include ditch blocking and rewetting techniques promoted by conservation science from University of York and University of Manchester, re-vegetation with sphagnum species informed by research at the James Hutton Institute, and changes to upland grazing and burning policy reflecting guidance from the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust and reviews by the Nature Conservancy Council legacy. The plan references peat management practices from international programs such as Wetlands International and draws on financial mechanisms similar to Payments for Ecosystem Services piloted in other UK schemes.
Delivery is coordinated through multi-stakeholder governance involving Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Natural England, Environment Agency, local authorities in Cumbria County Council, Northumberland County Council, Derbyshire County Council and statutory bodies including the Forestry Commission and park authorities for Lake District National Park Authority. Implementation partnerships include non-government organisations such as the National Trust, RSPB, Wildlife Trusts, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and academic consortia from University of Edinburgh and Newcastle University. Funding channels combine central allocations, levy adjustments resembling arrangements in the Agriculture Act 2020 framework, and philanthropic support coordinated with regional delivery bodies like the Yorkshire Peat Partnership.
Monitoring frameworks draw on methodologies from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, remote sensing systems used by the Met Office, peat carbon accounting approaches from the Committee on Climate Change and biodiversity metrics promoted by the State of Nature partnership. Reporting aligns with national greenhouse gas inventories submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and biodiversity reporting associated with the Convention on Biological Diversity. Independent evaluation is envisaged through academic reviews from institutions including Imperial College London, University of Exeter and third-party auditors similar to practices used by the National Audit Office.
Proponents including Natural England, RSPB, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and regional partnerships argue benefits for carbon sequestration, flood risk reduction in catchments such as River Tyne and River Ouse, and habitat recovery for species documented by BirdLife International and the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. Critics from stakeholder groups in upland farming communities, representatives at the National Farmers' Union, and some local councils in Cumbria and Derbyshire raise concerns about impacts on grazing rights, moorland management traditions associated with angling and shooting estates, and the sufficiency of compensation frameworks modeled on prior schemes administered by the Rural Payments Agency. Debate continues in forums such as parliamentary committees including the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee and stakeholder convenings hosted by Natural Capital Committee-linked experts.
Category:Environmental policy of the United Kingdom