Print
Effects of blanket bog drain blocking
UK blanket bogs have been subject to widescale drainage using systems of open drains known as grips. This has caused widespread habitat degradation and is often considered a threat to the large carbon stores held by these habitats, in the form of blanket peat. As a result, drain blocking is now a widely advocated measure for blanket bog restoration, with an estimated €250 million spent on this in the UK to date. Despite this level of investment, there are few data available with which to assess the efficacy of drain blocking, and fundamental aspects such as effects on vegetation remain to be investigated. Project objectives
- To determine the effects of grip blocking on vegetation composition and structure.
- To determine the effects of grip blocking on the invertebrate food supplies of peatland breeding birds.
Key dates so far
- Fieldwork was undertaken in and around the Forsinard Flows reserves in NE Scotland in 2007 and 2008, and data on vegetation and invertebrate abundance collected.
Work planned or underway
A paper on the effects of grip blocking on blanket bog vegetation is being prepared for submission to a scientific journal. Results
To date analyses have focussed on vegetation effects. These show that drain blocking can cause an increase in plant species characteristic of wet conditions and of peat formation, and a subsequent decline in those characteristic of drier moorland and of peat degradation. However, the analyses also suggest variability in vegetation response, with indications that such response may take several years to manifest. There were no detectable effects of drain blocking on vegetation structure in this study.
Who to contact
Dr David Douglas
Senior Conservation Scientist
E-mail: david.douglas@rspb.org.uk