Variability in water table conditions in degraded upland peatlands – a hydrological baseline for the Great North Bog

The restoration of damaged UK peatlands is a major conservation concern and landscape-scale restoration initiatives are extensive in areas of blanket peatland in upland Britain. Because of the importance of a high water table to healthy peatland systems, it is the primary physical parameter considered in the monitoring the impacts of peatland restoration projects. Degraded peatland water tables can be highly variable in both time and space so require characterisation at a variety of scales. As such, a baseline understanding of landscape scale water table behaviour is required to properly assess the outcome of restoration projects.

This paper presents the preliminary findings of the first major restoration works of the Great North Bog Initiative – a new and exciting partnership that brings together the seven regional peatland restoration partnerships across the north of England under a single collaborative banner. The Protected Landscapes of the Great North Bog represent around 92% of the upland peat in England and includes four National Parks and three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This first phase of restoration spans 5670 ha of peatland across Yorkshire and the North Pennines, with the aim of abating 455,500 of CO₂eq over a 50 year trajectory of recovery.  

We report the results of pre-restoration water table monitoring at ten sites with different degrees of management and degradation, including: drained, eroding and topographically ‘intact’ surfaces; heather and grass dominated vegetation covers; and unfavourable through to favourable national conservation designations. Our findings will provide a solid understanding of hydrological variation across these different sites and will form the baseline from which trajectories of recovery will be assessed.