PM 31 - Create and restore buffers to peatland habitats
- Code
- PM 31
- Measure
- Create and restore buffers to peatland habitats
- Description
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Habitats surrounding peatlands offer an opportunity to support, buffer and protect the peatlands from several pressures, such as footpath erosion or trampling. These can include a mosaic of different habitat types, such as heathland, scrub and acid grassland. It is important to ensure that these habitats and their long-term management continue to support the hydrological conditions of the peatlands. They can be created and restored through planting or through reducing livestock stocking rates and using conservation grazing methods.
- Wider environmental benefits
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Increasing woodland cover Improving air quality Improving water quality Increasing flood risk management Reducing climate change impacts Improving soil health Promoting nature friendly farming
- Priority
- Upland habitats are restored, and their condition is improved
- Priority description
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Upland habitats in Herefordshire include moorland, upland heath, acid grassland, rush pasture, bracken, scrub and peatlands. Between the upland moorland and more intensively managed lowland these habitats tend to occur as a mosaic known as ffridd. Due to the variety of habitats present in ffridd, including scattered trees, woodland, scrub, bracken, gorse, heathland, grassland, bog, scree and rock, its high structural diversity supports numerous and rare species. Peatland habitats, such as blanket bog and raised bog, provide valuable waterlogged habitat for a variety of species, including rare and specialist species such as sphagnum mosses. They also provide a number of important benefits, notably acting as vast stores of carbon and can mitigate the effects of flooding through water absorption. These habitats are vulnerable to soil erosion and fires which can result from overgrazing, lowered water tables, lack of tree and shrub cover, climate change and anti-social behaviour.
- Mapped