The Climate Project
As climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers, we are all fully invested in the health of our outdoor spaces and aware that human-induced climate change and habitat destruction needs to be urgently addressed by all, from the individual to the corporation. Here at the BMC, we tirelessly lobby for the protection and preservation of the countryside and mountains that we love and respect. As part of this ongoing action, we have established The Climate Project - a campaign from our Access & Conservation Trust that you can learn from, donate to and volunteer for - to make a truly positive impact on wild places, safeguarding them for future generations.
- Plant carbon-locking sphagnum moss in the Peak District with Moors For the Future
- Harvest and plant carbon-sinking seagrass in North Wales with Seagrass Ocean Rescue
- Use our environmentally sustainability check lists for individuals, offices, events and meetings
- Learn more about the state of the glaciers in popular climbing and mountaineering areas
The Climate Project Events
The Climate Project Events
In association with Moors for the Future Partnership, BMC volunteers will be planting sphagnum moss in the Goyt Valley area of the Peak District, close to Buxton. Sphagnum moss is a key building block of peat and healthy blanket bog keeps the underlying peat banks safe. Sphagnum traps carbon dioxide and due to its water retention properties it also helps reduce flooding and improves water quality. Therefore protection and restoration of blanket bog is an important part of the fight against climate change.
The Climate Project Events
In association with Moors for the Future Partnership, BMC volunteers will be planting sphagnum moss in the Goyt Valley area of the Peak District, close to Buxton. Sphagnum moss is a key building block of peat and healthy blanket bog keeps the underlying peat banks safe. Sphagnum traps carbon dioxide and due to its water retention properties it also helps reduce flooding and improves water quality. Therefore protection and restoration of blanket bog is an important part of the fight against climate change.
The Climate Project Events
BMC members are invited to join a Crag Clean up, hosted by BMC South West Area volunteers, with local BMC volunteer Nigel Barry.
The Climate Project Events
Come volunteer join us to help National Trust with conservation work on one of the Peak District’s high moor tops, above the Upper Derwent Valley. The work will consist of Sitka spruce (an invasive species) tree removal from Birchinlee Pasture (moor). This is a valuable opportunity to give something back to our treasured uplands and at the same time learn a little about moorland restoration too!
The Climate Project: Sphagnum
On our wild moorlands grows an amazing plant called sphagnum. When sphagnum is growing healthily, this plant powerhouse takes as much carbon out of the atmosphere as a tropical rainforest.
The Climate Project: Sphagnum
Is this the most important plant on earth?
Peat moorlands cover 15% of the UK, but many have been dug up, drained or destroyed. The Peak District moorland landscape is now the most degraded in Europe and damaged peat can be a great carbon emitter. Moors for the Future was founded in 2003 to fight back. So far they’ve transformed over nearly 8,000 acres of peat moors across the Peak District and South Pennines by stabilising bare peat, re-wetting the bog and planting sphagnum moss.
Why plant sphagnum?
This carbon-locking, water-absorbing green or red moss is fantastic for transforming the Peak District's degraded, dried out and eroded peat bogs into re-wetted, wildlife-loving, flood-reducing, wildfire-stopping habitats for a diverse range of flora and fauna. The Peak District moorland is the most degraded in Europe but our sphagnum-planting events will revitalise and strengthen this beautiful hill walking area. Find out more about sphagnum moss here.
Let’s plant moor
Thanks to our members and partners, we’ve raised over £70,000 for The Climate Project so far. This will restore more than 2,400 square meters of sphagnum on our Peak District moors. It costs £25 to plant one square metre of sphagnum moss and create a healthy moor.
Your donations will help:
- Avoid carbon loss
- Reduce wildfire risk
- Reduce flooding risk
- Protect endangered wildlife
- Increase biodiversity
The Climate Project: Seagrass
Seagrass, the world’s only marine flowering plant, has all of the properties of an underwater super plant. But many people still don’t know what it is. The Seagrass Ocean Rescue project is working to spread awareness of this special habitat and bring it back to our Welsh waters through some hands-on seagrass restoration work in North Wales.
The Climate Project: Seagrass
Did you know that seagrasses are one of our most important natural solutions to the climate crisis? Seagrasses sequester, or capture, carbon dissolved in our seas at a greater rate than tropical forests! In fact, carbon is taken from the water and used to build the seagrass’ leaves and roots – once the plants die, the carbon can then be stored in the seafloor for thousands of years. Seagrass is also vital to improving the quality of the water and increasing marine biodiversity.
Unfortunately, we have lost over 90% of British seagrass meadows in the past 100 years, mainly through disease and human-induced poor water quality. Globally, it is estimated that the equivalent size of two football pitches of seagrass is lost every hour.
The Seagrass Ocean Rescue project is aiming to protect and plant more seagrass in Wales. The exciting project engages with volunteers, local community groups and stakeholders to get involved with some hands-on seagrass restoration work in North Wales.
In 2023 they picked 1.5 million seeds which were planted across restoration sites in North Wales and at the Project Seagrass nursery. In 2024, 1.2 million seeds were picked. Plans are currently underway to plant these seeds out alongside nursery grown transplants in spring 2025. Seed collection is also planned for this year, where the Seagrass Ocean Rescue project aims to collect a similar amount of seeds to the previous two years.
The Climate Project is a campaign by the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust. Working alongside Moors For The Future and North Wales Wildlife Trust. It's supported by Cotswold Outdoor and Snow+Rock.
Leave a legacy to the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust (ACT) to help footpath repair and conservation projects become a reality for future generations of hill walkers and climbers. This will help protect access to cliffs and mountains for future generations. Legacy income is essential for the long term future of ACT and will allow us to continue our important work, thank you so much for considering a legacy donation in your will.