High Peak MP Robert Largan has gotten his hands dirty, taking part in moorland restoration work at Dove Stone.
Dove Stone borders the Peak District National Park and is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in partnership with United Utilities. Together they are working to enrich the habitat at Dove Stone to increase the diversity of the estate’s wildlife.
Robert Largan MP joined Site Manager, Kate Hanley, to look at the work they're doing. By making the bog wetter again, blocking the gullies with stone and heather bales and revegetating the bare peat this helps to prevent wildfire and create a better environment in which a blanket bog can flourish. Robert helped with re-wetting the moors by planting Sphagnum Moss.
Dove Stone has a range of habitats including moorland, internationally important and nationally scarce blanket bog, as well as native deciduous woodland with trails around the reservoir.
Dove Stone supports a range of wildlife and is home to characteristic birds of the area such as Raven, Ring ouzel, Peregrine, Golden plover and Dunlin as well as a good range of woodland birds. Dove Stone is also one of the few places in the UK where you’re able to see the Mountain Hare outside of Scotland.
Chris Matthews, Head of Sustainability, United Utilities said:
“It was a pleasure to host Robert at Dove Stone to discuss both the challenges and opportunities in managing such a beautiful landscape. We are very proud of the improvements that have been made to the catchment land at Dove Stone, and beyond, through our long-standing partnership with the RSPB.
“We look forward to working with Robert on the shared interest we have in managing land to deliver benefits to everyone in society, whether that is air quality, reduced carbon emissions, reduced flood risk or health and well-being. “
Kate Henley, Site Manager, RSPB said:
“We enjoyed Robert’s visit to Dove Stone. It was wonderful to see his interest in our landscape scale restoration works with United Utilities, and the delivery of ecosystem services like carbon storage, biodiversity and flood management that we are providing through our partnership land restoration at Dove Stone.”
Robert Largan MP commented:
“Restoring our moors is essential. It helps tackle climate change, improve water quality, increase biodiversity, as well as reduce flood and fire risk. I’m proud to have helped secure an increase in funding for moorland restoration in the Emergency Budget earlier this year.
“It was great to get up to Dove Stone with the RSPB and United Utilities, to see the work they have done first hand. And it’s always good to get my hands dirty and plant some Sphagnum Moss, which plays a key part in biodiversity and re-wetting the peat moors.”
