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Peak moors restored to former glory
VAST swathes of Yorkshire's iconic moorland, damaged by over 200 years of air pollution, wildfires and over grazing, have been restored following a ground-breaking multi-million pound project carried out by Yorkshire Water.
The project, which began in 2003, has seen almost 11,500 hectares of Sites of Special Scientific Interest transformed, running from Nidderdale to the Pennines and down to the Peak District.
Work has included using helicopter airlifts to transport in mats to stop soil erosion, grass seed and cut heather, usually harvested from nearby sources to lay on and stabilise damaged areas of bare peat.
This has been followed by planting seeds and plants of traditional moorland species to encourage wildlife with other work consisting of tree planting, blocking moorland drains to help stop peat drying out and fencing off sensitive areas to prevent stock grazing.
On area affected is by the Woodhead Pass near Sheffield, where the adjoining Snailsden and Thurlstone Moors to the north have undergone improvement work.
The work started after the Government it wanted all the UK's SSSIs in a favourable or recovering condition by 2010.
Yorkshire Water's senior rural surveyor, Lisa Harrowsmith, said: "Two centuries of industrial pollution and intensive farming techniques led to SSSIs falling into a pretty poor state, so we knew we had a big job ahead of us.
"Thanks to a lot of hard work, investment, and time we've got there, restoring diverse habitats and enhancing a much-loved part of Yorkshire."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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