Peatland restoration in Dartmoor, Exmoor and Cornwall

Farmers are combining modern technology with traditional practices to understand how livestock are adapting to the restoration of the peatlands of Exmoor, Dartmoor and Cornwall.

In a first for peatland restoration in the area, 100 sheep were fitted with GPS tracking collars before being put out to graze on Dartmoor last summer.

These collars allow the farmer and monitoring teams from South West Peatland Partnership (SWPP) to track stock movements in real time over the next few years.

They enable them to identify how livestock are adapting to the peatland restoration and gather insights on how they interact with the changing landscape across the centre of the North Moor.

Colin Abel, one of the farmers involved with the sheep tracking said: "By tracking the sheep before, during and after restoration we will be better able to understand how the work affects our livestock’s ability to move across the area, so we can ensure the peatland restoration doesn’t create barriers that prevent the grazing that is so important to the management of these areas.

"We are also using phones to track how we move across the area, when checking and gathering our sheep, so the restoration team can keep these routes useable by creating wider dams that quadbikes can cross.

"This means we will still be able to look after our sheep without compromising the benefit of the restoration."

This monitoring is particularly important with the influence of climate change and the drought conditions seen on the moorland this year.

Further data will also be collected on access routes for farmers themselves, identifying any changes in traditional patterns of how livestock are gathered or checked on.

The restoration team can work with farmers using this data to assess any changes that occur and how methods can be adapted to ensure continual easy access across the area, such as creating bridges and stream crossings.

Peatlands hold significant amounts of carbon-storing, water-filtering, wildlife-supporting peat in the form of blanket bogs and valley mires.

However, over centuries, human activities such as draining the moorland, peat-cutting, tin streaming and reclamation have dried large areas.

This has impacted habitats and waterways, with ecological diversity lost and the carbon storage capacity of peatland reduced.

This also has a knock-on effect on the traditional grazing of the landscape, with minimal water for livestock found across the landscape other than streams and rivers and areas of the ground that crumble underfoot.

A range of government agencies, charities, businesses, universities, farmers and landowners form the SWPP with the aim of restoring 2,634 hectares of degraded peatlands across the region before 2025.

SWPP monitoring manager Deborah Deveney said: "The knowledge and sensitive relationship that upland farmers have with the land is intrinsic to the long-term success of the peatland restoration ambitions, so working with the farmers to help us monitor these areas is key.

"Farming in these marginal areas is challenging but these extensive grazing systems are integral to the recovery of peatland, ensuring the survival of wildlife which depends on these habitats whilst supporting carbon and water storage, improving water quality, protecting cultural landscapes and supporting vibrant local communities."