High Peak MP Robert Largan has invited the Environment Secretary, George Eustice MP, to visit the local moorlands and see the work being done to restore this precious environmental heritage and pursue nature-led solutions to climate change.
Robert Largan MP asked during Environment, Food & Rural Affairs oral questions:
“The moors of the Dark Peak are staggeringly beautiful, but unfortunately they remain some of the most depleted in Europe. The case for restoring our peat moorlands makes sense on so many levels. It enhances biodiversity and improves water quality, helping keep water bills down. It reduces the risk of flooding and of wildfire, and it helps tackle climate change. I am proud that the Government are investing huge sums of money in restoration already, but we do need to go further and faster. Can I invite the Secretary of State to come up on the moors of the High Peak with me, so he can see the excellent work being done first-hand and so we can make the case for continued investment in this vital restoration?”
The Environment Secretary accepted the High Peak MP’s invitation and replied:
“My hon. Friend makes a very important point. Our peat habitats are vital for our biodiversity, can be a vitally important carbon store and can also help with both drought and flood risk mitigation. We will be dramatically increasing the funds available for peatland restoration. I or one of my ministerial colleagues would of course be delighted to visit his constituency in the High Peak and see some of the work being done there.”
Last month, the Environment Secretary outlined a new peat action plan setting out a framework to improve the management, protection and restoration of upland and lowland peatlands.
This includes a new Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme to support the restoration of 35,000 hectares of degraded peatland in England, backed by over £50 million between 2021 and 2025.
Robert Largan MP commented:
“The Peak District is a special place. I am passionate about conserving it for the next generation. That is why I've been campaigning for more investment in the restoration of our moorland.
“My very first question in Parliament after being elected was about the importance of peatland restoration in our journey to net zero by 2050, and I will keep pushing in Westminster for our local moorlands to be protected.”
