BMC wins collaborative conservation award!

Access News
23 Jul
2 min read

The British Mountaineering Council and Peak District National Park Authority – working through Moors for the Future Partnership – have received a prestigious award for our work to conserve the moorlands of the Peak District and South Pennines.

Drum roll please - the EUROPARC Federation and the European Network of Outdoor Sports (ENOS) have given their Joint Award for Outdoor Sports and Nature Conservation to The Climate Project: Sphagnum Planting, a collaborative initiative between the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust and Moors for the Future Partnership, part of the Peak District National Park Authority.

What happened?

Set against the iconic landscape of The Roaches in Staffordshire, The Climate Project: Sphagnum Planting initiative focused on restoring 27 hectares of degraded peat moorland, with 4.9 hectares (the equivalent of nearly 7 football pitches) planted manually by BMC volunteers on Get Stuck In days using innovative methods devised by Moors for the Future Partnership. This included planting sphagnum moss – a vital bog-building plant – into carefully created microhabitats using nothing more than walking boots to make shoe-sized “scrapes” in challenging terrain.

The BMC and Moors for the Future Partnership have built up a strong relationship, based on a love of the upland landscapes that are at the heart of their activities, and recognising that they share the same goal – that wetter is better in these moorland habitats. This collaboration gave the BMC members a unique, hands-on way to connect with these important habitats, and the BMC’s Access & Conservation Trust provided £90,000 in funding, which was instrumental in unlocking a further £2.5 million through the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme.

What was the impact?

Working through the winter of 2023/24, volunteers showed remarkable resilience and dedication, planting of thousands of sphagnum plugs during Get Stuck In events. Their efforts helped stabilise and rewet peatlands that had been severely impacted by the devastating 2018 fire, which released an estimated 11,000 tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere.

This innovative, volunteer-led planting method proved highly effective. Scientific monitoring found that 100% of the sphagnum plugs survived, significantly outperforming traditional planting techniques. Growth rates were also far higher – 4.5 times the planted size – demonstrating the value of this people-powered approach.

The environmental benefits are manifold: improved water quality, reduced flood and wildfire risk, increased biodiversity, and long-term carbon sequestration. Socially, the project has deepened public understanding of the importance of peatlands and fostered a sense of custodianship among the Outdoor Sports community.

What are people saying about it?

The EUROPARC Federation said: “This project demonstrated how experienced outdoor sports enthusiasts – climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers – can actively contribute to nature conservation, applying their love for the land in deeply practical ways. Their work on peatland restoration across the Peak District and South Pennines has not only benefited the environment but also set new standards in Outdoor Sports engagement with conservation. As a result of the initiative’s success, the BMC has become a member of the UN Sport for Nature Framework and is already inspiring similar action across the international Outdoor Sports community. This project now serves as an exemplar of how sport can support nature-based climate solutions.”

Dr Cath Flitcroft, the BMC’s Head of Access and Environment, says, "The response by BMC members to the climate and nature crisis has been phenomenal and the opportunity to plant sphagnum moss with Moors for the Future has given so many volunteers the chance to understand firsthand the importance of these amazing landscapes in tackling this crisis. We are proud we’ve achieved this award which recognises the work of so many and celebrates the success of this great partnership."

Phil Mulligan, Chief Executive, Peak District National Park Authority said: “In the year that the Peak District National Park celebrates our 75th anniversary, it’s so exciting to win this award. The Park has always been a pioneer and this award shows that this tradition of innovation continues. Volunteers bring great value to the Park and this award acknowledges the way in which they have helped to pave the way to landscape-scale recovery.”

About Moors for the Future Partnership

Moors for the Future Partnership was established in 2003 to protect damaged blanket bog habitats across the Peak District and South Pennines. It provides evidence-based conservation, backed up by innovative public engagement.

Moors for the Future Partnership is led by the Peak District National Park Authority. It receives financial support from the Environment Agency, National Trust, RSPB, Severn Trent, United Utilities, Yorkshire Water, and support and advice from Natural England, National Farmers Union, Heather Trust, Woodland Trust, ethical finance sector and the British Mountaineering Council's Access & Conservation Trust.

The Partnership has raised £50 million of public and private funding to deliver restoration over 35 square kilometres of bare and eroding peat and created 3 square kilometres of native clough woodlands.

Healthy peat moors:

  • provide a unique habitat for a wide range of wildlife.
  • absorb and store carbon – peat is the single biggest store of carbon in the UK, storing the equivalent of 20 years of all UK CO2 emissions and keeping it out of the atmosphere.
  • provide good quality drinking water – 70% of our drinking water comes from these landscapes. Damaged peat erodes into the reservoirs so that water companies have to spend more money cleaning the water for consumption.
  • help reduce the risk of flooding to communities living downstream.

Support The Climate Project

Support the BMC's Access & Conservation The Climate Project campaign to plant sphagnum to rewet the moors, reduce wildfire and flooding, avoid carbon loss and protect biodiversity.

  • £5 buys a pair of work gloves

  • £25 funds a square metre of sphagnum moss

  • £200 builds a 2m stone dam for a badly eroded, moorland gully

  • £2,500 plants 100 square metres of sphagnum moss

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