Volunteers and Natural England staff have worked tirelessly to plant over 18,500 cottongrass and Sphagnum plugs across the Humberhead Peatlands. These specialist peatland plants play a vital role in restoring the hydrology, biodiversity, and long‑term resilience of this internationally important landscape.
Every plug planted helps accelerate the recovery of degraded peat, boosts carbon storage, and supports rare wildlife that depends on healthy bog habitats. This is hands‑on conservation at its best—community, science, and dedication coming together to protect one of England’s most precious ecosystems.
See our restoration activities in action on our YouTube Channel.
The LIFE EU funded programme for the natural environment has awarded a €1.46 million grant to Natural England, working in partnership with Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust; to help restore the precious lowland raised bog habitat of Thorne and Crowle Moors. Lowland raised bog is one of Western Europe’s rarest and most threatened habitats. In Europe, more than half of all pristine peatlands have been lost or damaged. Thone and Crowle Moor, part of the last remnants of a large wetland that occupied the Humberhead Levels floodplain thousands of years ago, is the largest area of lowland raised bog in England.
