A Staffordshire Moorlands nature reserve is set to benefit from a major habitat restoration project after securing £280,000 in Government funding.
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust (SWT) has been awarded development phase funding to help restore Gun Moor, a site in the Staffordshire Peak District that is home to a range of rare and declining bird species.
The funding forms part of a £30 million investment announced by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) to support habitat restoration projects across England’s National Parks, National Landscapes and the Broads.
Gun Moor, which offers views across The Roaches and the surrounding Staffordshire Moorlands, supports species including woodcock, curlew, snipe, cuckoo and lesser redpoll.
However, the site has been affected by years of historic artificial drainage and increasingly dry conditions, which have damaged deep peat and wet heath habitats.
SWT said the restoration project would help reverse that decline by rewetting peatland, restoring wet heath and creating new native woodland.
Jeff Sim, Head of Nature Reserves and Species Recovery at SWT, said: “Gun Moor is vital to iconic species but it’s in need of significant restoration. Without intervention, we risk losing this habitat and all the wildlife it supports.
“This investment will enable us to create 24 hectares of restored habitat. We’ll rewet deep peat by blocking ditches and we’ll plant moisture capturing mosses to keep water on the moor. Curlew needs areas like this to nest.
“We’ll restore the wet heath by planting sphagnum mosses, cross-leaved health and bog rosemary along with other specialty plants. New native woodland on the lower slopes of the site will also provide more habitat for rare birds. The lesser redpolls and woodcock rely on dense native woodland and scrub to shelter and feed.”
The funding contributes to national efforts to protect 30 per cent of land and sea for nature by 2030, as well as a legally binding target to restore more than 50,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat by 2042.
SWT will work alongside the Peak District National Park Authority to deliver the project, with work expected to begin after the bird nesting season ends later this summer.
Jeff added: “The habitat at Gun Moor is what makes the Peak District moors internationally significant for wildlife. It’s really important that we restore these areas so they can host more struggling nature.”
