The 19th of April was a busy start for the LIFE Moor Space team as they set up their first project conference at the Legacy Centre in Doncaster, with the anticipation of hosting delegates from peatland restoration initiatives from around the United Kingdom. With a series of presentations planned for the morning, guests began to arrive, and networking got underway with people gathering around the various displays across the room or getting a much-needed coffee!
As everyone settled in for the morning, the agenda kicked off with an opening statement from Paul Schofield, the LIFE Moor Space Project Manager and into the first presentation of the day, ‘Future-Proofing UK peatland restoration’, delivered by Emma Hinchliffe from the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Fred Worrall from Durham University led on to discuss the fate and future of Thorne and Hatfield moors concluding that a staggering 1cm of peat per year is being lost at Hatfield. To finish the morning, Jenny Rhymes from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology explored the complexities of lowland agricultural peat and the future it faces if nothing changes for the better.
Following on from a great buffet lunch, we all sat down to a series of workshops, hosted by the LIFE Moor Space project team and NIAB (National Institute of Agricultural Botany) looking to gather and share information on UK Peatland Projects, Restoration Barriers, Restoration Innovations and Farming alongside peatland restoration. After a productive afternoon of knowledge sharing, the first day drew to a close with a talk delivered by, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trusts Head of Conservation, Tammy Smalley, on the challenges that must be overcome to preserve life as we know it.
The second day started at the National Nature Reserve office at Hatfield Moor where we split into two groups, with attendees either taking a guided walk around Hatfield or Thorne and Crowle Moors depending on their preference. The Thorne and Crowle Moor contingent were treated to a surprise ride on the Peatland Railway, which has been preserved by the Crowle Peatland Railway team as a cultural heritage attraction of the historic peat extraction on the moors. After chugging a small way onto Crowle Moor the group headed out on a walk to visit the sites of plastic piling water control structures, sprouting Cottongrass, Sphagnum Mosses, Bog Cranberries, fire breaks and more.
After a successful, and busy, two-day conference, the LIFE Moor Space team looks forward to the seasons monitoring and restoration works for 2023.
You can watch our Keynote Speakers on Youtube.
