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Northern Ireland unveils first strategy to restore degraded peatlands

DAERA has published its first Peatland Strategy, a 15-year plan to conserve and restore some of Northern Ireland’s most threatened landscapes.Launched by Andrew Muir, the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister, the strategy has been endorsed by the Stormont Executive and will run until 2040. It is designed to tackle the […]

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Ban on burning peat moors extended in boost for wildlife and climate

The government has introduced a significant extension of its ban on the burning of heather on deep peat, in a move hailed as a landmark step for conservation and climate action. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed that the restrictions will now cover 676,628 hectares of upland […]

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To solve England’s drought crisis we must start in the uplands

England is running dry. Not in a vague, distant-future sort of way, but now – this year, this summer. The Government has this week warned of a “nationally significant” water shortfall. Experts have warned it could last until mid-autumn, possibly longer. Water companies are reaching for the familiar levers: hosepipe bans, […]

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Peatland protections to be bolstered as government clamps down on heather burning

England’s fragile peatlands are to be afforded stronger protections under new government plans, which will extend the existing partial ban on heather burning across vast swathes of the uplands. In a move hailed as a major step forward for conservation, the area of peatland where burning is prohibited will be increased […]

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Government launches landmark National Estate for Nature

A major coalition of landowners, responsible for around 10% of England’s land, has come together under a new government-led initiative to spearhead large-scale nature restoration. The National Estate for Nature, launched by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, aims to transform land management practices, boosting biodiversity and strengthening the […]