Raby has a vast amount of moorland in Upper Teesdale. 75% of this is blanket bog, with peat depths in excess of 40 cm. It is estimated that, of this moorland, ca. 546 ha (7%) was in need of restoration due to changes in agricultural practices from the 17
th century, and more recently, the post-war industrialisation of agriculture which resulted in the digging of open channels in the peat, known as grips. This has led to the progressive drying out of peat hags and the erosion of channels and gullies, leading to the erosion and waste (thinning) of peat.
As degrading peat emits greenhouse gases, including CO2, methane and nitrous oxide, it is estimated that ca. 6,496 tCO2e are being emitted from Raby’s upland estate per year. This is more than the emissions arising from all operations at Raby, and the Estate’s single most significant source of greenhouse gases.
Since 2019/20, several peatland restoration projects have been undertaken in Upper Teesdale, working with National Landscapes, most notably at Valance Lodge, a 96 ha site of severely eroded blanket bog, which constituted the largest area of bare peat on Raby. Restoration has included:
- Grip blocking and reprofiling to stem water flow, trap sediment and aid re-wetting.
- Damning peat gullies.
- Revegetating bare and eroding peat to reduce erosion and help reestablish a more diverse flora.
- Identifying donor sites for moss rich nursery crop to support peat revegetation and stabilisation.
- Changing stock management to prevent over-grazing.
Working with National Landscapes (formerly the AONB), we have also identified priority sites for further work, including Herdship Fell, Harwood Common, and Middleton and Newbiggin Commons. These currently constitute an area of ca. 224 ha of bare peat, emitting up to 2,912 tonnes CO2e annually. Rewetting and revegetating this area to create a more semi-natural bog will help reverse this trend, and potentially result in an estimated net carbon benefit of up to 2,916 tonnes CO2e annually, based on Natural England’s ‘Carbon Storage and Sequestration by Habitat 2021’ report.
The moorlands of Upper Teesdale are also important habitats for breeding birds, notably the Black Grouse, with Raby having about a third of all the black grouse left in England, and a breeding population of merlin of regional importance. Raby also has the highest density of waders in Britain outside the Orkneys, including Golden Plover, Curlew, Redshank, Snipe and Lapwing. Additionally, the area is famous for the rare arctic-alpine flora of the Teesdale Assemblage and priority bog plants like the carnivorous Sundew. Restoring our peatlands and changing the land management to reduce grazing pressure will therefore contribute not only to the Estate’s carbon budget, but to the enhancement of the mosaic of moorland habitats which are needed to support these rare, priority species.
