Experiencias de la Red Mundial de Reservas de Biosfera de Montaña
Restoring peatland
UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man’s largest peat reserves, a vital carbon store, are located in its uplands. The lower slopes of Snaefell mountain and surrounding hills contain a significant peat reserve. As part of the Biosphere’s commitment to tackling climate change and biodiversity emergencies, it is embarking on restoring peatland.
An initial project to restore a minimum 400 hectares is under way, focusing on the most degraded site, ‘turbaries’, where peat was hand-cut, stacked and dried before being used for heating. The last public turbary closed in 2020.
Restoration is guided by field surveys, including ecological habitat condition assessments that not only provide current data, but future benchmarking to assess the impact of restoration. It is hoped that by restoring degraded peatland, the Biosphere will enhance biodiversity, including the breeding grounds of the majestic hen harrier, improve flood management, improve raw water quality and increase wildfire resilience.
País: Isle of Man
Reserva de la Biosfera: Isle of Man
Ámbito de la experiencia: Applied research
Organismo responsable: Isle of Man BR
Años: Underway
Contacto: Jo Overty jo.overty@gov.im

![Isle of Man 2[271] Biodegradable netting being pegged down on an area of re-profiled peat.](https://www.mountainbiosphere.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Isle-of-Man-2271-scaled.jpg)